THE    WESTMINSTER  NEW  TESTAMENT 
THE    GOSPEL    ACCORDING   TO 

ST.    JOHN 

AUTHORISED    VERSION 


1  HE   WESTMINSTER  NEW  TESTAMENT 


(iENERAL  Editor 
ALFRED  E.  GARVIE,  M.A.  (Oxon.),  D.D.  (Glas.) 

PRINCIPAL  OF  NEW  COLLEGE,  LONDON 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO 

ST.    JOHN 

AUTHORISED  VERSION 


WITH    INTRODUCTION    AND    NOTES 
By  Rev.  HENRY  W.  CLARK 

AUTHOR   OF   "  THE  PHILOSOPHY   OF   CHRISTIAN   EXPERIENCE 

•'  THE  CHRIST    FROM    WITHOUT   AND  WITHIN  " 

ETC.      ETC. 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming    H.    R  e  v  e  1 1    C  o  m  p  a  n  y 

London        and        Edinburgh 


PREFACE  BY  THE  GENERAL  EDITOR 

Having  carefully  selected  the  editors  of  the  ten 
volumes  of  which  the  Westminster  New  Testament 
will  consist,  and  having  fully  explained  to  them 
the  purpose  of  the  series,  the  General  Editor  is 
leaving  them  the  greatest  possible  liberty  ;  and  the 
editor  of  each  volume  is  alone  responsible  for  the 
opinions  expressed  in  it.  It  is  hoped  that  thus 
any  lack  of  uniformity  will  be  amply  compensated 
for  by  the  varied  interest  w^hich  the  free  expression 
of  his  own  individuality  by  each  editor  will  impart 
to  the  series.  While  the  standpoint  adopted  is 
that  of  modern  critical  scholarship,  only  the 
generally  accepted  results,  and  not  the  vagaries  of 
individual  critics  are  being  presented,  and  in  such 
a  fashion  as  to  avoid  unnecessarily  giving  any 
offence  or  causing  any  difficulty  to  the  reverent 
Bible  student.  As  the  series  is  intended  especially 
for  teachers,  lay  preachers,  and  others  engaged 
in  Christian  work,  their  needs  are  being  kept 
particularly  in  view,  and  the  Commentary  aims  at 
being  as  practically  useful  as  possible.  A  new 
arrangement  in  printing  the  text  and  the  notes 
has  been  adopted,  which  it  is  believed  will  be  found 
an  improvement. 

A.  E.  GARVIE. 

New  College,  London, 
August  i^ih,  1907. 


THE 

WESTMINSTER  NEW  TESTAMENT 

THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST,  JOHN 


INTRODUCTION. 

I.  THE  AUTHORSHIP  OF  THE  GOSPEL. 

Perhaps  a  discussion  of  the  problem  of  the  Fourth 
Gospel's  authorship  should  commence  with  an 
assurance  that  the  question  is  one  which  no  inquirer 
need  be  afraid  to  face.  It  has  of  course  been  hotly 
debated :  perhaps  no  problem  of  New  Testament 
criticism  has  engaged  the  attention  of  so  many 
scholars  or  been  discussed  with  such  eager  interest  : 
and  yet  it  is  not  a  specially  difficult  task  to  marshal 
the  evidence  and  to  form  some  opinion  as  to  which 
side  can  claim  the  preponderating  weight.  Pro- 
bably the  importance  of  the  matter — the  con- 
sequences which  may  follow  for  other  questions 
than  the  question  of  authorship  itself — will  in  large 
part  account  for  the  interest  which  the  problem  has 
roused.  For  important  the  matter  certainly  is. 
In  the  Fourth  Gospel^  as  our  study  of  it  will  show 
us,  is  found  the  most  explicit  and  (as  most  would 
say)  unevadable  claim  for  the  absolute  divinity  of 
I 


2     Westminster  New  Testament 

Jesus  that  is  anywhere  made ;  and  this  claim  is 
based  upon  sayings  and  doings  of  His  which  are, 
according  to  the  book's  own  announcement, 
recorded  by  one  who  heard  and  saw.  Usually, 
therefore,  an  acceptance  of  the  authenticity  of  the 
Gospel  is  accompanied  by  an  acceptance  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  special  divinity  of  Jesus ;  and  a 
rejection  of  the  authenticity  of  the  Gospel — if  it 
does  not  necessitate  a  rejection  of  the  doctrine — at 
any  rate  implies  the  loss  of  one  of  the  doctrine's 
chief  supports.  The  purely  critical  question  and 
the  doctrinal  question  are,  if  not  actually  bound 
up  together,  at  least  very  closely  related.  Dr. 
Drummond,  it  is  true,  does  hold  to  the  Johannine 
authorship  of  the  book,  and  yet  deny  the  historical 
character  of  much  that  it  contains  ;  i  but  in  this  he 
stands  very  nearly  alone.  This  much  would  at 
least  be  said  by  the  majority  of  students — that  so 
long  as  the  Gospel  keeps  its  place,  you  have  first- 
hand testimony  to  a  life  which  proclaims  Him  who 
lived  it  to  have  been  the  Son  of  God.  And  this 
close  connection  between  the  question  of  the 
Gospel's  authorship  and  the  question  of  the  true 
view  of  Jesus  Christ  goes  far  to  account  for  the 
interest  which  the  critical  problem  has  for  many 
years  past  never  ceased  to  arouse. 

But,  in  itself,  the  problem  of  the  authorship 
of  the  book  is,  as  we  shall  presently  see  when  the 
evidence  is  marshalled,  not  too  complex  for  any 
earnest  mind  to  grapple  with.  It  is  quite  true  that 
in  this  question,  as  in  all  questions  of  the  kind,  the 
issue  depends  upon  a  balance  of  probabilities  at 
last.     But  he  who  weighs  the  testimony  carefully 

^  The  Character  and  Authorship  of  the  Fourth  Gospel. 
By  James  Drummond,  D.D, 


St.  John  3 

will  be  able  to  come  to  a  conclusion,  and  need  not 
be  left  wandering  as  in  a  maze,  feeling  that  he  is 
no  nearer  to  finding  the  centre  at  the  end  of  his 
labours  than  he  was  when  he  set  out.  There  is  a 
dipping  of  the  scale  sufficiently  pronounced  to  lead 
to  a  verdict — a  dipping  of  the  scale  which  is  as 
decided  in  the  case  of  the  Fourth  Gospel's  author- 
ship as  in  almost  any  other  question  that  human 
thought  has  to  weigh. 

If,  now,  we  approach  the  matter  of  authorship 
with  clear  minds,  unpossessed  by  prejudice 
in  favour  of  any  particular  theory,  and  at  the 
same  time  confident  that  an  ordinarily  simple 
method  of  investigation  will  suffice  for  the  attain- 
ment of  a  definite  result,  what  course  shall  we 
adopt  ?  The  first  point  to  be  settled,  surely,  is  the 
account  which  the  book  gives  of  itself.  What 
does  it  say  or  imply  concerning  the  writer  from 
whose  pen  it  came  ?  That  inquiry  is  the  obvious 
starting-point,  and  to  that  inquiry  we  will  now 
give  the  brief  reply  which  is  all  it  needs. 

1.  The  Gospel's  claim  concerning  its 
authorship.  Although  no  definite  statement  is 
anywhere  made,  yet  the  twenty-first  chapter 
practically  shuts  us  up  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
Gospel  itself  declares  John  to  have  penned  it. 
The  writer,  it  is  said  in  verse  24,  was  "the 
disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,"  and  this  disciple  was 
one  of  the  group  standing  round  Jesus  while  the 
conversation  recorded  in  the  chapter  was  carried 
on.  This  group,  we  learn  from  verse  2,  consisted 
of  "  Simon  Peter,  and  Thomas  called  Didymus,  and 
Nathanael  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  and  the  sons  of 
Zebedee,   and  two   other  of  his   disciples."     The 


4     Westminster  New  Testament 

only  disciples  to  whom  the  title  of  the  "  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved  "  could  be  applied  (except  on 
the  theory  to  be  presently  dealt  with)  are  Peter 
and  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  James  and  John ;  for 
the  other  three  Gospels  show  these  men  to  have 
stood  in  a  peculiarly  intimate  relation  to  Jesus  ; 
and,  indeed,  no  one  has  suggested  that  either 
Thomas  or  Nathanael  could  answer  to  the  name. 
So  far,  then,  Peter,  James,  and  John  are  left  to  us 
for  our  choosing.  Peter,  however,  drops  out, 
inasmuch  as  he  is  expressly  differentiated  from 
the  beloved  disciple  in  verse  20  and  in  other 
places ;  ^  and  James  was  killed  so  early  in  the 
Church's  history  that  the  Gospel  could  not  have 
come  from  his  pen.  The  process  of  elimination 
thus  complete,  we  are  left  with  John  as  the  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved,  and  consequently  as  the  author 
of  the  book.  That  John  was  the  beloved  disciple 
was,  it  should  be  added,  the  unanimous  tradition  of 
the  Christian  Church  from  the  earliest  times. 

The  only  way  in  which  this  conclusion  as  to  the 
Gospel's  distinct  assertion  of  its  own  Johannine 
authorship  can  be  evaded  is  by  suggesting  that 
the  beloved  disciple  need  not  have  been  one  of  the 
inner  apostolic  circle  at  all,  and  that  one  of  the 
"  two  other  disciples  "  referred  to  in  verse  2  may 
have  written  the  book.  It  is,  in  fact,  on  this  point 
that  a  great  deal  of  discussion  has  centred  ;  and  in 
order  to  reconcile  the  general  ascription  of  the 
Fourth  Gospel  to  an  author  named  John  with  this 
hypothesis,  another  John,  ^^  John  the  Presbyter," 
has  been  looked  upon  as  the  possible  writer.  The 
theory  is  that  this  other  John  was  one  of  the  two 
disciples  mentioned  in  verse  2,  and  that  in  after 
1  13.  23,  24,  for  instance. 


St.  John  5 

years  he  lived  in  Ephesus  and  wrote  the  Gospel, 
finally  becoming  confused  in  the  mind  of  the  Church 
with  John  the  Apostle,  an  inhabitant  of  the  same 
city.  This  theory  has  been  most  elaborately  drawn 
out  by  Dr.  Delff  of  Husum.  A  modified,  or  rather 
a  more  extreme,  form  of  the  theory  denies  that 
the  Apostle  John  ever  lived  in  Ephesus  at  all — 
which  form  of  the  theory  seems,  however,  to  make 
matters  more  difficult  rather  than  easier,  inasmuch 
as  it  removes  any  reason  for  the  confusion  alleged 
to  have  taken  place.  Harnack  holds,  as  a  sort 
of  possible  intermediate  view,  that  the  Apostle, 
although  not  an  inhabitant  of  the  city,  visited  and 
was  known  within  Asian  borders.  In  any  case,  the 
essential  points  are  that  the  beloved  disciple  is 
supposed  to  have  been  John  the  Presbyter,  and 
that  this  man  wrote  the  Gospel  commonly  ascribed 
to  the  Apostle's  pen. 

One  consideration  appears  to  be  final.  The 
Fourth  Gospel  tells  us  that  at  the  Last  Supper 
the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  leant  upon  His 
breast ;  and  the  Fourth  Gospel  is  at  one  with  the 
Synoptics  |in  declaring  that  the  twelve  Apostles 
were  the  Master's  companions  there,  no  sign  being 
given  of  the  presence  of  anyone  else.  The  language 
of  Matthew  (26.  20),  "  He  was  sitting  at  meat 
with  the  twelve  disciples," — of  Mark  (14.  17),  "He 
Cometh  with  the  twelve," — and  of  Luke  (22.  14), 
"  He  sat  down,  and  the  apostles  with  him," — seems 
to  point  to  the  fact  of  Jesus  having  been  alone  with 
the  Twelve.  It  is  in  the  ranks  of  the  Twelve,  there- 
fore, that  the  beloved  disciple,  the  author  of  our 
book,  must  be  sought.  If  it  be  thought  that  this 
fact  is  not  sufficient  to  make  the  theory  about 
"  John  the  Presbyter "  crumble,  one  can  come  to 


6    Westminster  New  Testament 

closer  quarters  and  more  direct  dealing  with  it 
on  this  wise.  There  is  only  one  piece  of  evidence 
that  any  confusion  between  John  the  Apostle  and 
John  the  Presbyter  was  ever  suspected  to  have 
taken  place.  Irenaeus  speaks  of  Papias  (Bishop 
of  Hierapolis  in  Phrygia)  as  having  been  a  "  hearer 
of  John."  Irenaeus  undoubtedly  refers  to  the 
Apostle ;  but  Eusebius,  a  later  historian/  imagines 
him  to  have  confused  the  Apostle  with  the 
Presbyter^  solely  on  the  ground  that  the  name 
of  the  latter  seems  to  be  twice  mentioned  in 
Papias'  works.  The  John  mentioned  on  the 
second  occasion  (in  connection  with  Aristion)  is 
generally  admitted  to  have  been  someone  other 
than  John  the  Evangelist.  But  it  will  be  seen 
at  once  that  while  the  fact  of  the  Presbyter  being 
mentioned  by  Papias  may  be  evidence  of  the 
Presbyter's  existence  (a  point  on  which^  however, 
some  scholars  are  extremely  doubtful),  it  is  no 
evidence  at  all  of  the  blunder  Irenaeus  is  said  to 
have  made,  since  there  is  no  reason  why  Papias 
should  not  have  known  both  Johns,  if  two  there 
were. 2  Nor,  even  if  Irenaeus  had  in  this  particular 
instance  been  wrong,  would  it  have  any  bearing  on 
the  matter  of  the  Fourth  Gospel's  authorship.  All 
that  would  be  proved  would  be  the  fact  that  Irenaeus 
had  not  a  full  acquaintance  with  the  facts  of 
Papias'  life.  Negatively,  it  should  be  noted  that 
there  is  absolutely  nothing  to  show  that  John  the 
Presbyter  was  ever  in  Ephesus  at  all,  except  a 
statement  made  by  Dionysius    of  Alexandria  ^  to 

^  260-339. 

^  Eusebius  himself,   however,  fully  accepts  the  Johannine 
authorship  of  the  Fourth  Gospel. 
^  d.  265. 


St.  John 


the  effect  that  there  ''  were  erected  two  monuments 
in  Ephesus^  and  each  is  called  John's."  Even  this 
Dionysius  only  reports  on  hearsay,  and  he  does  not 
himself  suggest  that  the  second  monument  stood 
to  the  Presbyter's  memory :  it  is  Eusebius  who 
seems  to  have  made  the  identification  on  which 
some  modern  critics  rely  so  much.  The  fact  that 
two  monuments  existed  of  course  proves  nothing  ; 
for,  as  Dr.  Drummond  rightly  points  out,  we  do 
not,  from  the  fact  that  London  has  two  monuments 
to  Oliver  Goldsmith,  argue  to  two  writers  of 
the  same  name.  It  is  at  least  possible  that  both 
monuments  commemorated  the  same  life  ;  and  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  Jerome  ^  does  seem  to  say  (although 
the  reading  is  somewhat  doubtful,  and  the  passage 
may  conceivably  refer  to  "  epistles  "  rather  than  to 
"  monuments ")  that  both  memorials  at  Ephesus 
commemorate  the  Apostle  John.  But,  in  any  event, 
there  is  no  real  evidence  in  favour  of  the  Presbyter's 
residence  in  Asia,  or  of  any  confusion  between  him 
and  the  Apostle  John. 

It  is  true  that  if,  on  other  grounds,  the  apostolic 
authorship  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  were  disproved, 
one  might  flee  for  refuge  to  some  such  theory, 
since  John  the  Presbyter  would  be  the  next 
most  famous  man  bearing  the  necessary  name, 
though  even  then  the  theory  would  be  no  more 
than  a  passably  plausible  conjecture.  But  to  adopt 
it,  in  face  of  the  definite  indications  given  in  the 
twenty-first  chapter  of  the  Gospel  itself,  is  much 
too  hazardous  a  procedure  to  be  sound  criticism. 
The  identification  of  the  "  disciple  whom  Jesus 
loved"  with  John  the  Apostle  is,  to  put  it  at 
the  lowest,  by  far  the  most  probable  settlement  of 
1  343-420. 


8     Westminster  New  Testament 

the  point ;  and  that  being  so^  we  are  entitled  to 
say  that  the  Fourth  Gospel  declares  itself  to  have 
proceeded  from  John  the  Apostle's  pen. 

2.  The  external  evidence.    It  is  a  natural 

thing  to  inquire,  for  our  next  step,  how  far  the 
"  external  evidence "  supports  this  claim  to  a 
Johannine  authorship  which,  as  we  have  seen,  the 
Gospel  itself  almost  certainly  makes.  Do  the  well- 
known  writers  of  the  Christian  Church  ascribe  the 
book  to  John  ?  If  not,  to  whom  else  is  it  ascribed  } 
Are  there  witnesses  of  character  and  capacity  in 
favour  of  the  belief  that  the  Fourth  Gospel  pro- 
ceeded from  the  Apostle's  hand  } 

In  view  of  the  controversies  which  have  in  recent 
decades  raged  round  the  problem,  any  inquirer 
approaching  the  matter  for  the  first  time  might 
well  be  surprised,  with  the  noise  of  the  controversy 
in  his  ears,  at  being  told  that  testimony  to  the 
Johannine  authorship  meets  with  no  contradiction 
for  many  centuries  after  Christian  history  began — 
that,  in  fact,  the  first  challenge  of  John's  claim 
(with  one  insignificant  exception  presently  to  be 
noted)  was  delivered  by  Evanson  in  1792.  Yet 
the  fact  is  so.  All  down  the  centuries,  the  Church 
received  the  Gospel  as  John's ;  and  no  voice  is 
raised — not  even  by  heretical  thinkers,  whose 
doctrinal  interests  might  well  have  led  them  to 
attempt  a  discrediting  of  apostolical  authorship — 
to  question  the  soundness  of  the  Church's  faith. 

The  first  distinct  quotation  from  the  Fourth 
Gospel  as  being  John's  meets  our  eyes  in 
Theophilus  of  Antioch,  about  the  year  180. 
Speaking  of  inspired  men,  this  writer  says,  "  One 
of  whom,  John,  says,  '  In  the  beginning  was  the 


St.  John  9 

Word.'  "  And  the  first  explicit  ascription  of  the 
Fourth  Gospel  to  the  Apostle  stands  in  the 
"  Muratorian  Fragment/'  i  which  is  of  somewhat 
earlier  date.  Modern  opponents  of  John's  author- 
ship make  the  most  of  the  fact  that  no  definite 
mention  of  John's  name  is  to  be  found  previous 
to  this  period ;  but  we  go  on  to  note  that  the  book 
was  evidently  well  known  long  before.  Traces  of 
its  existence  are  found  in  the  Didache,  or  "  The 
Teaching  of  the  Twelve/'  whose  date  is  not  long 
after  100.  Polycarp,  who  had  been  a  disciple  of 
John,  has  allusions  in  his  one  remaining  work, 
A71  Epistle  to  the  Philippians,  published  about  110, 
which  can  only  indicate  acquaintance  with  the 
First  Epistle  of  John — and  this  Epistle  and  the 
Gospel  are  so  closely  connected  that  both  are 
practically  certain  to  have  come  from  the  same 
writer.  Moreover,  Dr.  Drummond  holds  that 
there  is  in  this  book  of  Poly  carp's  at  least  one 
partial  quotation  from  the  Gospel  itself.  Still 
more,  Irenaeus,  writing  later,^  says  that  Poly  carp 
had  heard  the  incidents  of  the  life  of  our  Lord 
from  eye-witnesses,  and  goes  on  in  this  connection 
to  add  that  '^  John,  the  disciple  of  the  Lord,  who 
had  leaned  on  His  breast,  himself  also  published 
the  Gospel  while  he  dwelt  at  Ephesus  in  Asia." 
This  mention  of  Irenaeus  of  course  carries  us  out  of 
the  strict  chronological  order ;  but  the  quotation 
is  given  here  because  John,  Polycarp,  and  Irenaeus 
make  a  closely  linked  chain  of  evidence  not  easily 

^  So  called  because  it  was  discovered  by  the  Italian  historian 
Muratori  in  the  Ambrosian  Library  of  Milan  at  the  beginning 
of  the  eighteenth  century.  The  authorship  of  the  Fragment 
is  unknown. 

^  See  below. 


lo   Westminster  New  Testament 

to  be  set  aside.  With  Polycarp  as  John's  disciple, 
and  with  Irenaeus  as  Polycarp' s,  it  is  not  likely 
that  Irenaeus  would  have  made  this  definite 
assertion  concerning  the  Gospel's  authorship 
unless  Polycarp  had,  in  some  clear  and  well- 
remembered  utterance,  put  the  matter  beyond 
doubt.  Resuming  the  chronological  statement, 
we  note  that  Ignatius,  Bishop  of  Antioch  (about 
110),  employs  phrases  pointing  unmistakably  to 
knowledge  of  the  Fourth  Gospel.  Heretical 
writers,  such  as  Basilides  and  Valentinus^  (125 
and  145),  quote  from  the  book.  The  Epistle  of 
Barnabas  (132)  shows  that  the  Gospel  was  in  its 
writer's  hands.  Justin  Martyr,  in  his  first  Apology 
(147),  has  phrases  and  sentences  recalling  vividly 
phrases  and  sentences  of  John's.  Tatian,  in  his 
Diatessaroii^  (1^^)^  wTites  of  four  Gospels,  and 
actually  begins  his  book  with  the  early  verses 
of  John  as  we  have  them  now.  So  we  reach 
Irenaeus  again  (177),  and  find  him  speaking  of 
a  sort  of  necessity  in  the  nature  of  things  that 
there  should  be  four  Gospels,  neither  more  nor 
less,  correspondent  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven 
or  the  four  regions  of  the  earth.  Some  of  these 
references,  it  should  be  said,  have  been  questioned 
by  modern  criticism — that  is,  it  has  been  denied, 
concerning  some  of  the  quotations  and  allusions, 
that  they  bear  upon  John's  Gospel  at  all. 
But  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  evidence 
is    cumulative :    it  does    not    follow,    even    if   one 

^  The  works  of  these  writers  do  not  survive,  except  in 
extracts  given  principally  by  Hippolytus;in  his  work,  Against 
all  Heresies.  Hippolytus  died  about  230,  and  his  book  was 
discovered  in  1842  in  a  monastery  of  Mount  Athos. 

^  The  work  is  a  harmony  of  the  four  Gospels. 


St.  John  II 

or  two  of  the  supposed  testimonies  should  fail, 
that  the  case  breaks  down  ;  and^  besides^  in  the 
majority  of  instances  given  above,  there  is  hardly 
any  room  for  doubt.  So  that  we  have  no  lack 
of  testimony  as  to  the  existence  of  the  Fourth 
Gospel  in  the  early  years  of  the  second  century ; 
and  the  stairway  of  evidence  brings  us  easily  down 
to  that  explicit  use  of  John's  name  in  connection 
with  the  book  which,  as  has  been  seen,  Theophilus 
of  Antioch  and  the  Muratorian  Fragment  make. 
And  from  that  time  onward,  acceptance  of  John's 
authorship  is  the  normal  attitude.  The  statement 
of  Clement  of  Alexandria,^  quoted  by  Eusebius,  to 
the  effect  that  "  last  of  all  John  perceiving  that 
the  bodily  facts  had  been  set  forth  in  the  other 
Gospels,  at  the  instance  of  his  disciples  and  with 
the  inspiration  of  the  Spirit,  composed  a  spiritual 
Gospel,"  is  accepted  everywhere  by  the  whole 
Church.  Not  until  fhe  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century  did  it  dawn  upon  any  mind  that  this 
universally  accepted  belief  had  after  all  been 
wrong. 

If  it  be  contended,  as  it  is  by  some  of  the 
negative  critics,  that  while  the  evidence  may 
prove  the  existence  of  the  Gospel  in  the  early  part 
of  the  second  century,  the  fact  that  the  author's 
name  is  not  given  as  John  till  about  180  throws 
doubt  upon  the  apostolic  authorship,  there  is  one 
point  that  must  be  faced.  Would  it  have  been 
possible,  unless  John  had  been  already  held  for 
the  writer,  for  Theophilus  of  Antioch  quietly  to 
assume  the  fact  without  at  once  rousing  contra- 
diction }  There  can  be  but  one  reply.  The  fact 
that  the  first  mention  of  the  writer's  name  meets 
^  150-220. 


12   Westminster  New  Testament 

us  in  a  manner  so  unlaboured  and  unostentatious, 
and  that  no  trace  of  suspicion  or  denial  can  be 
found,  must  be  held  to  establish  decisively  that 
Theophilus,  in  alluding  to  John  as  the  author, 
was  but  repeating  what  everybody  knew.  The 
thing  is,  in  fact,  in  accord  with  the  frequent 
practice  of  our  own  time.  A  book,  recently 
published,  which  is  known  to  all  and  in  which  all 
are  interested,  is  alluded  to  constantly  without 
any  mention  being  made  of  its  author's  name  : 
it  is  not  till  some  time  has  elapsed,  and  the  first 
freshness  of  interest  is  wearing  away,  that  it  is 
thought  necessary  to  be  more  explicit.  It  was 
common  knowledge,  we  are  entitled  to  say,  that 
the  Fourth  Gospel  proceeded  from  John's  pen. 
The  fact  was  so  well  known  that  there  was  no  need 
to  mention  it.  Later,  it  was  a  natural  thing  that 
the  fuller  and  more  formal  designation  of  the  book 
should  be  set  down. 

Mention  was  previously  made,  however,  of  one 
insignificant  exception  by  which  the  unanimity  of 
the  external  evidence  is  broken  through ;  and, 
insignificant  as  the  exception  is,  it  demands  at 
least  a  word.  Towards  the  end  of  the  second 
century  the  genuineness  of  the  Gospel  was  denied 
by  a  sect  named,  or  rather  nicknamed,  the  Alogi 
(the  foolish  ones).  Little  is  known  of  them  :  it  is 
actually  held  by  some  critics  that  the  sect  consisted 
of  only  one  person ;  and  it  is  certain  that  they 
were  not  taken  very  seriously  by  anyone  either  at 
the  time  of  their  existence  or  in  after  days.  It  is 
only  the  negative  critics  of  modern  times  who 
have  made  much  of  them — quite  naturally,  of 
course,  since  the  one  available  piece  of  negative 
evidence   must   be   carefully   cherished   by   those 


St.  John  13 

bent  upon  maintaining  the  negative  position.  Dr. 
Drummond  says  sarcastically  that  the  Alogi  "have 
been  fondled  with  a  tenderness  suitable  to  their 
small  dimensions/'  and  declares  himself  unable  to 
treat  them  with  much  more  seriousness  than  he 
gives  to  the  theory  of  the  Baconian  authorship 
of  Shakespeare's  plays.  The  Alogi  are,  indeed, 
reduced  to  their  true  value  by  the  simple  state- 
ment that  they  ascribed  the  Gospel  to  Cerinthus — 
and  Cerinthus  is  the  very  heretic  whom  the  Gospel 
was  in  great  part  designed  to  refute  !  The  fact  at 
once  robs  the  matter  of  whatever  importance  it 
might  seem  to  possess.  Certainly  the  repudiation 
of  the  book  by  people  like  the  Alogi  cannot  weigh 
for  an  instant  against  the  otherwise  unanimous 
testimony  we  have  adduced.  One  needs  only  to 
note  the  existence  of  the  sect,  and  immediately 
drop  it  out  of  the  essential  factors  of  the  case. 

One  other  difficulty — and  a  real  one — presents 
itself  when  the  external  evidence  is  under  review. 
A  ninth-century  writer,  Georgius  Hamartolus, 
reproduces  a  statement  which  Papias  is  said  to 
have  made,  to  the  effect  that  both  the  sons  of 
Zebedee,  James  and  John,  were  "slain  by  the 
Jews."  This  is  assumed  by  some  critics  to  mean 
that  both  brothers  were  put  to  death  at  the  same 
time ;  and  this  would  of  course  be  fatal  to  the 
Johannine  authorship  of  our  Gospel,  since  James 
was  killed  by  Herod  Agrippa  in  the  year  41,  and 
it  is  not  contended  by  anyone  that  the  Gospel  was 
written  till  a  later  date.  It  may  be  taken  as 
certain,  however,  that  Papias,  whatever  he  may 
have  said  or  meant,  did  not  say  or  mean  that  John 
and  James  suffered  siymdtaneously.  There  is  nothing 
in  the  statement,  as    quoted,  to   support  such  an 


14   Westminster  New  Testament 

idea ;  and  a  reference  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Galatians  ^  indicates  clearly  that  John  was  living 
after  James'  death.  We  are  consequently  shut 
up  to  the  supposition  that  John,  if  he  suffered 
martyrdom  at  all  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the 
word,  did  so  at  some  subsequent  time  and  in  Asia, 
where,  according  to  practically  unanimous  tradition, 
he  lived  to  a  great  age.  This  might  be  taken  as  a 
sufficient  explanation  of  the  statement  attributed 
to  Papias,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  tradition  is 
also  practically  unanimous  in  declaring  that  the 
Apostle  died  a  natural  death.  On  this  point,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  the  word  translated 
"  slain  "  or  "  martyred  "  did  not  formerly  always 
carry  the  signification  it  does  with  us.  "White 
martyrdom,"  as  the  phrase  runs,  was  sometimes 
intended — that  is,  any  suffering  for  the  truth 
short  of  death  itself;  and  it  is  possible  that  the 
quoted  statement  may  have  had  reference  to  the 
Apostle's  banishment,  and  not  to  any  endurance 
on  his  part  of  the  extreme  penalty.  If  we  may 
make  the  by  no  means  improbable  assumption  that 
"the  Jews"  were  instrumental  in  procuring  the 
exile  of  John,  the  [statement  of  Papias  becomes 
clear,  even  supposing  (what  many  scholars  have 
questioned)  that  Georgius  Hamartolus  reproduces 
it  with  verbal  accuracy.  Harnack,  who  will 
hardly  be  supposed  prejudiced  in  favour  of  the 
Johannine  authorship  of  the  Fourth  Gospel,  thinks 
that  the  alleged  quotation  counts  for  very  little ; 
and  others  have  imagined  that  some  confusion  has 
arisen  in  the  minds  of  later  copyists  between  John 
the  Baptist  and  John  the  son  of  Zebedee.     In  any 

^  2.  9.     The  James  mentioned  in  this  passage  is,  of  course, 
not  the  son  of  Zebedee,  but  the  Lord's  brother. 


St.  John  15 

case,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  difficulty,  though 
real,  is  scarcely  formidable.  It  is  doubtful  whether 
we  have  Papias'  exact  words ;  and,  taking  the 
statement  precisely  as  it  stands,  there  is  nothing  at 
all  to  show  that  it  points  to  a  simultaneous  martyr- 
dom. That  hypothesis  excluded,  the  statement — 
whether  it  be  quoted  accurately  or  inaccurately, 
whether  it  refer  to  "  red  "  martyrdom  or  "  white  " 
— does  not  militate  against  the  view  that  the 
Apostle  John  wrote  the  Fourth  Gospel  somewhere 
about  the  commonly  received  date. 

A  survey  of  the  external  evidence,  therefore, 
offers  nothing  to  overturn  the  claim  which  the 
book  makes  on  its  own  behalf.  That  John  was 
its  author  becomes,  not  less,  but  more,  probable,  as 
we  look  into  the  gathered  testimonies  of  the  writers 
whose  works  survive  from  the  earliest  Christian  years. 

3.  The  internal  evidence.    We  turn  next  to 

the  internal  evidence — that  is,  to  the  indications 
in  the  Gospel  itself  which  either  support  or  dis- 
credit the  Gospel's  claim  to  be  written  by  the 
Apostle  John.  If  the  book  be  penned  by  a  later 
writer  assuming  an  earlier  writer's  name  or 
personality,  and  not,  as  it  claims,  by  an  eye-witness, 
it  is  probable  that  the  pretender  will  in  some 
fashion  or  other  give  himself  away.  He  will  at 
some  point  fail,  so  to  say,  to  act  the  part.  There 
will  be  slips  and  confusions  here  and  there.  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  author  be  indeed  the  Apostle, 
we  shall  expect  to  find  a  certain  detail,  a  certain 
sureness  of  touch  in  dealing  with  times  and  places 
and  the  customs  of  the  period,  and  such-like 
matters,  which  would  be  natural  to  one  who  had 
taken  part  in  the  events  described.     Unconsciously, 


i6   Westminster  New  Testament 

but  none  the  less  decidedly,  he  will  reveal  a 
minuteness  of  knowledge  which  a  later  writer, 
mentally  carrying  himself  back  into  the  history, 
could  never  show.  It  may  be  granted,  it  is  true, 
that  a  literary  artist  of  skill  could  minimise  this 
absence  of  acquaintance  with  detail,  and  by  an 
exercise  of  the  "  historical  imagination,"  combined 
with  careful  research,  might  succeed  in  imparting 
an  air  of  verisimilitude  to  his  work ;  but  it  would 
be  too  much  to  expect  that  the  impersonation 
could  be  entirely  concealed.  On  the  other  hand, 
even  an  eye-witness,  writing  long  after  the  events 
he  records,  may  fall  into  error  now  and  again.  But 
if  we  find  that  on  the  whole  the  author  manifests 
the  detailed  knowledge  of  which  we  have  spoken, 
and  if  he  manifests  it,  not  as  one  who  has  "  got  up 
the  subject "  for  the  purposes  of  his  book,  but  as  one 
with  whom  it  forms  part  of  his  native  equipment 
and  of  his  customary  outlook  upon  life,  then  w^e 
are  entitled  to  add  the  internal  evidence  to  the 
external  evidence  as  supporting  [the  claim  made  by 
the  Gospel  to  be  the  Apostle's  work.  And  in  the 
case  of  the  book  before  us,  these  things  are  so. 

It  is  impossible,  however,  in  the  case  of  the 
internal  evidence,  to  do  more  than  indicate  the 
direction  in  which  the  reader  may  seek  it  out  for 
himself  It  is  a  matter  of  detail  which  cannot  be 
pursued  into  all  its  striking  ramifications  in  the 
space  at  our  command.  The  following  examples 
will  give  an  idea  of  the  line  on  which  the  Gospel 
may  be  investigated  in  this  connection.  There 
are  signs,  for  one  thing,  that  the  author  had  an 
intimate  acquaintance  with  some  customs  of  the 
Jews  which  fell  into  disuse  after  the  destruction 
of  the  Temple  in  the  year  70,  and  among  which  a 


St.  John  17 

later  writer,  studying  them  for  the  purpose  of 
"local  colour/'  would  not  have  been  so  perfectly 
at  home.  The  regulations  concerning  purifying 
are  of  this  order  ;  ^  but  to  the  writer  of  the  Gospel 
they  evidently  formed  part  of  the  ordinary  routine. 
The  allusions  to  them  come  in  with  perfect 
naturalness.  The  topic  is  native  to  the  writer's 
mind.  In  matters  of  geographical  detail  we  have 
an  accuracy  and  a  carefulness  of  nomenclature 
which  mark  the  contemporary  and  eye-witness  of 
the  events  set  down.  Bethsaida  is  called  "the 
city  of  Andrew  and  Peter."  ^  ^non  is  spoken  of 
as  being  "near  to  Salim."  ^  The  Temple  is  known 
to  the  author  of  the  book ;  and  he  writes 
(although,  on  any  hypothesis  as  to  authorship,  the 
Temple  was  destroyed  when  the  book  was  written) 
as  one  who  had  often  trodden  its  courts  and  who 
remembered  well  what  all  its  arrangements  had 
been.  Even  the  reference  to  the  fact  that  the 
Temple  had  been  forty-six  years  in  building  *  is 
striking  and  confirmatory.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  Temple  was  not  finished  till  the  time  of  Nero, 
so  that  many  more  years  than  forty-six  were 
occupied  in  its  erection  ;  but  at  the  time  when 
Jesus,  according  to  the  Fourth  Gospel,  drove  out 
the  traders  and  the  money-changers,  forty-six 
years  had  passed  since  20  b.c. — the  date  at  which 
the  building  is  thought  to  have  been  commenced. 
The  author  could  speak  of  the  "  treasury,"  ^  and 
of  "  Solomon's  porch,"  ^  and  of  other  things  which 
could  only  be  known  in  detail  to  those  who  had 
walked  in  the  Temple  before  its  fall. 

Even    the    things    which    have    been    pressed 

1  2.  6,  II.  55,  18.  28.  2  i_  44  3  3.  23. 

^  2.  20.  5  8.  20.  ^  10.  23. 


i8    Westminster  New  Testament 

by  some  critics  as  throwing  doubt  upon  the 
Johannine  authorship  of  the  book  turn  out^  on 
closer  investigation,  to  favour  it.  Matthew 
Arnold  made  a  point  of  the  fact  that  the  writer 
speaks  of  ^^the  Jews'  passover/'  and  uses  such 
phrases  as  ^"^  after  the  manner  of  the  purifying  of 
the  Jews/' — thereby  implying,  according  to  the 
critic,  that  he  was  not  himself  a  Jew.  But,  as  Dr. 
Marcus  Dods  points  out,  ^^an  Englishman  w^ho 
had  been  thirty  years  abroad,  and  who  was  writing 
for  foreigners,  would  use  precisely  such  forms  of 
expression."  i  And  thus  John,  in  his  abode  at 
Ephesus,  follow^ed  what  is  after  all  the  natural 
method  when  he  employed  language  such  as  this. 
Again,  the  fact  that  the  writer  of  the  Gospel  uses 
the  name  ^^ Sea  of  Tiberias"  for  the  ^^Sea  of 
Galilee  "  has  been  fastened  upon  as  a  sign  of  late 
composition,  inasmuch  as  it  is  said  that  the  name 
"Sea  of  Tiberias"  did  not  come  into  general 
use  till  the  second  century.  It  happens,  however, 
that  the  author  employs  both  names,  and  employs 
them  together,'^  as  if  he  were  writing  just  at  a  time 
of  transition  when  the  one  name  was  passing  out 
of  use  and  the  other  coming  in — which,  if  the  new 
name  was  in  the  second  century  well  established, 
precisely  corresponds  to  the  probabilities  at  the 
first  century's  close.  So  that,  once  more,  the 
supposed  testimony  for  the  prosecution  shifts  over 
to  the  side  of  the  defence. 

All  this,  as  has  been  said,  is  but  an  indication  of 

some  of  the  lines  on  which  the  examination  of  the 

"internal  evidence"   can    be   pursued.     In  many 

ways,   it  will    be  found  (the   impression  deepens 

^  Introduction  to  the  New  Testament, 

2  6.    I. 


St.  John  19 

with  the  reading  of  ahiiost  every  incident  related 
in  the  pages  of  the  book),  the  author  of  the  Fourth 
Gospel  reveals  his  intimate  knowledge  of  the 
country  concerning  which  he  writes,  of  its  topo- 
graphy, of  the  habits  of  its  inhabitants,  of  its 
religious  condition  and  divisions ;  and  all  this 
affords  strong  support  to  the  theory  that  an  eye- 
witness was,  through  by  far  the  major  portion  of  the 
Gospel,  taking  the  pen  in  hand.  And  if  an  eye- 
witness, then  no  one,  as  we  have  seen,  can  dispute 
the  Apostle's  claim.  It  should  be  added  that  the 
writer's  proved  accuracy  in  cases  where  it  can  be 
tested  constitutes  a  strong  presumption  of  similar 
accuracy  in  cases  where  he  writes  with  similar 
detail,  but  where  similar  test  and  proof  can  no 
longer  be  obtained.  The  student  making  his 
mental  journey  through  these  pages,  and  coming 
upon  example  after  example  of  the  author's  intimate 
knowledge  concerning  persons,  places,  seasons,  and 
the  rest,  and  finding,  moreover,  that  where  tests  can 
be  applied  the  writer's  credit  stands  unshaken  and 
sure,  will  draw  but  one  conclusion.  Seeing  how 
the  whole  thing  is  ''  fitly  framed  together  "  on  the 
assumption  of  the  historian  being  an  eye-witness 
of  the  history,  he  will  conclude  that  the  internal 
evidence,  no  less  than  the  external,  supports  the 
Johannine  authorship  of  the  Gospel  which  bears 
John's  name. 

4.  What  is  on  the  other  side  ?    Wliat,  then, 

it  will  be  asked,  is  there  to  set  on  the  other  side  ? 
If  the  Gospel  claims  to  be  written  by  John,  and  it 
the  evidence,  both  external  and  internal,  unites  to 
support  the  claim,  how  is  it  that  so  much  debate 
has  circled  round  the  point }     In  reply,  it  has  to 


20 


Westminster  New  Testament 


be  said  that  the  chief  objection  brought  against  the 
Johannine  authorship  lies  in  the  apparent  difference 
between  the  presentation  of  Jesus  given  in  the 
Fourth  Gospel  and  that  given  in  the  other  three. 
The  fact  that  the  Fourth  Gospel  carries  the  doctrine 
of  Christ's  special  divinity  farther  than  do  the  Syn- 
optics— or,  at  least,  emphasises  and  dwells  upon  it  to 
a  far  greater  extent — is  fastened  upon  as  being  itself 
a  suspicious  thing.  The  simplicity  of  the  Synoptic 
account  has  here  given  place,  it  is  said,  to  long 
discourses,  claiming  to  have  been  uttered  by  Jesus 
Himself,  in  which  He  lays  stress  upon  a  profound 
relation  to  God,  whereof,  in  the  Synoptics,  He  does 
not  speak.  We  have  exchanged  the  simple  Teacher 
for  the  mystic.  Jesus  speaks  less  in  a  style  suited 
to  the  people,  and  more  in  a  fashion  which  only  the 
wise  could  understand.  His  own  claims,  His  own 
greatness,  form  the  theme  of  many  of  these  long 
discourses  which  the  Fourth  Gospel  records  ;  and 
the  more  elementary  expositions  and  invitations  of 
the  other  three  are  absent  from  the  page. 

Strenuously  as  the  point  has  been  pressed,  how- 
ever, the  reply  is  quite  easy.  For  one  thing,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  even  in  the  Synoptics 
there  are  passages  which  imply  an  altogether 
unique  relation  between  Jesus  and  God.  Matt. 
11.  27,  for  example,  is  quite  Johannine  in  its  ring.^ 
Mark  13.  31  asserts  the  authority  of  Jesus  as 
explicitly  as  does  any  passage  in  John.  Of 
Matt.  25.  31  the  same  thing  may  be  said.  And 
any  reader,  turning  the  Synoptic  pages  with  open 
mind,  will  find  similar  instances  not  a  few.  For 
another  thing,  when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  the 
discourses  in  the  Fourth  Gospel  are  represented 
^  See  also  Luke  lo.  22. 


St.  John  21 

as  addressed  to  hostile  Jews  in  Jerusalem,  it  will 
seem  a  quite  natural  thing  that  they  should  deal 
more  insistently  and  continuously  with  the  assertion 
of  Christ's  claims,  since  the  very  fact  that  opposition 
had  to  be  met  compelled  a  fuller  and  more 
complete  statement  of  the  case.  Speaking  to  the 
multitudes,  Jesus,  one  would  expect,  would  suffer 
His  unique  claims  to  be  implied  rather  than 
earnestly  pressed,  so  far  as  any  definite  formulation 
of  the  profound  relations  between  Himself  and  the 
Father  were  concerned  ;  speaking  to  the  bitter  and 
antagonistic  ecclesiastical  authorities  in  Jerusalem, 
He  would  push  these  claims  to  the  front,  meeting 
challenge  with  adequate  assertion  and  defence. 
So  far  from  being  an  objection  to  the  authenticity 
of  the  reported  discourses,  the  difference  between 
them  and  those  given  in  the  Synoptics  (even  push- 
ing the  difference  to  the  utmost)  is  actually  a 
confirmation  of  their  truth. 

The  very  fact  that  the  Fourth  Gospel  represents 
Jesus  as  teaching  principally  in  Jerusalem  is,  how- 
ever, made  a  ground  of  suspicion.  The  Synoptics 
show  us  Jesus  exercising  His  ministry  chiefly  in 
Galilee — why  does  this  last  account  transfer  Him 
to  the  city  ?  Of  this  a  great  deal  has  been  made  ; 
and  yet  of  this,  too,  one  is  inclined  to  say  that  the 
objection  is  really  "much  ado  about  nothing."  If 
John,  writing  later,  set  himself  to  supply  what  the 
other  writers  had  left  unsupplied,  surely  an 
adequate,  though  simple,  explanation  has  been 
found.  For  the  point  is  not  (and  this  applies  to 
the  previously  mentioned  objection  as  well  as  to 
this)  that  John's  account  is  actually  inconsistent  with 
that  of  the  Synoptists,  but  simply  that  it  contains 
what  they  do  not — a  distinction  which  must  not  be 


22   Westminster  New  Testament 

overlooked.  It  is  antecedently  probable  that  Jesus 
would  spend  no  little  time  in  Jerusalem  ;  and  if 
the  Synoptics  had  preferred  to  dwell  upon  the 
Galilean  side^  it  is  no  wonder  that  John  should 
determine  to  fill  the  gap.  And,  besides,  allusions 
to  a  Galilean  ministry  are  definitely  found  in  the 
Fourth  Gospel.^  The  Galilean  ministry  is  assumed, 
though  not  described.  Neither  the  Synoptists  nor 
John  tell  the  whole  tale  :  it  is  only  by  putting  the 
various  accounts  together  that  we  make  the  picture 
complete. 

John,  then,  may — after  this  survey  of  the  whole 
case — be  held  for  the  book's  author.  One  may 
allow  that,  writing  in  old  age  and  long  after  the 
events  narrated,  he  may  have  given  some  of  his 
Master's  ideas  in  his  own  speech  ;  and  it  is  equally 
possible  that  he  may  have  put  into  any  given 
discourse  thoughts  and  phrases  which  really  belong 
to  another.  But  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that 
we  have  here  a  substantially  accurate  record  of 
what  Jesus  said  and  did,  written  by  one  who 
companied  with  Him,  or  that  it  is  an  Apostle  who 
in  these  pages  gives  us  what  he  has  seen  with  his 
eyes,  what  he  has  heard,  and  what  his  hands  have 
handled,  concerning  the  Word  of  life.^ 

II.  THE  SPECIAL  PURPOSE  OF  THE 
GOSPEL. 

In  writing  his  Gospel,  John  had  a  very  special 

purpose  in  view.     Of  course,  this  is  equally  true, 

in  a  sense,  of  the  writers  of  the  synoptic  Gospels : 

it  was  their  intention  to  present  a  narrative,  not 

1  4.  43,  7.  I,  etc.  2  J  John  I.  I. 


St.  John  23 

necessarily  complete,  but  accurate  within  its  limits, 
of  the  words  and  deeds  of  Jesus  ;  and  to  this  extent 
John's  aim  was  identical  with  theirs.  Moreover, 
in  each  one  of  the  Synoptics  some  particular  side 
of  Christ's  mission  is  emphasised,  and  it  is  under 
some  particular  aspect  that  Jesus  Himself  is  more 
or  less  consistently  conceived. 1  But  John's  aim  is 
differentiated  from  that  of  the  others  by  being 
more  distinctly  controversial.  His  Gospel  was 
composed  with  a  consciousness  that  the  divineness 
of  Jesus  had  been  assailed  :  he  saw  the  foes  of  his 
faith  before  his  mind's  eye ;  and  so  the  dominant 
purpose  throughout  his  book  is  to  bring  out  facts 
which  support  the  doctrine  that  Jesus  was  in  the 
full  sense  of  the  words  the  Son  of  God.  Thus, 
towards  the  close  of  the  Gospel,  the  Apostle 
describes  the  aim  which  has  all  along  been  regnant 
in  his  thought,  declaring  of  the  things  which  he 
had  set  down,  "these  are  written,  that  ye  may 
believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God  ; 
and  that  believing  ye  may  have  life  in  his  name."  ^ 
Tradition  represents  John  as  having  specially  had 
controversy  with  a  philosopher  named  Cerinthus. 
However  this  may  be,  it  is  certainly  against  such 
views  as  those  held  by  Cerinthus  that  the  Fourth 
Gospel  lifts  up  its  testimony — as  also  against  the 
Ebionite  and  Gnostic  heresies  which  were  cor- 
rupting the  churches  by  the  time  that  John  had 
reached  old  age.  We  have  not  space  to  explain 
these  systems  at  length.  It  may  be  briefly  said, 
however,  that  the  Gnostic  heresy,  holding  every- 

^  See,  for  instance,  the  suggestive  chapter  called  "Four 
Pictures  of  Jesus  "  in  Professor  Work's  volume,  The  Fascination 
of  The  Book. 

2  20.  31. 


24    Westminster  New  Testament 

thing  corporeal  to  be  evil,  counted  the  historical 
Jesus  to  have  been  merely  man,  since  divineness 
actually  incarnated  in  humanity  involved  an 
unthinkable  contradiction ;  while  the  Ebionites 
were  a  Judaising  sect  whose  members,  besides 
taking  the  Jewish  law  as  possessing  binding 
obligation,  held  views  upon  the  nature  of  Jesus 
which  were  kindred  with  those  of  the  Gnostic 
creed.  Cerinthus,  on  his  part,  taught  that  up  to 
His  baptism  Jesus  was  only  man,  and  also  (since  it 
w^as  impossible  for  Deity  to  suffer)  that  at  the 
Crucifixion  He  became  only  man  once  more.  It 
was  against  these  and  similar  speculations,  destruc- 
tive as  they  were  of  the  true  doctrine  of  the 
incarnation  of  God  in  Christ,  that  John  desired 
to  bear  his  witness.  He  writes,  that  is,  with  a 
definite  doctrinal  and  even  polemical  intent. 

Remembering  this,  John's  method  is  explained. 
His  selection  of  facts  is  carefully  made.  He  lays 
emphasis  upon  those  incidents  and  those  sayings 
in  the  sacred  history  which  tell  most  directly 
toward  the  establishment  of  the  doctrine  he  is 
concerned  to  uphold.  He  is  interested  primarily 
in  the  bearing  of  events  upon  the  polemical  object 
nearest  to  his  mind ;  and  the  intrinsic  interest 
of  history  takes  a  secondary  place.  For  instance, 
John  the  Baptist,  who  is  in  the  other  three  Gospels 
a  figure  invested  with  interest  for  what  he  is  in 
himself,  finds  a  place  in  John's  Gospel  only  as  one 
who  bears  testimony  to  the  Christ.  And  so  all 
through,  the  apologetic  purpose  is  the  ruling  idea. 
This  does  not,  needless  to  say,  afford  any  justifica- 
tion for  the  charges  sometimes  brought  against  the 
author  of  the  book.  It  is  said  that  inasmuch  as 
John  had  a  polemical  pm'pose  to  serve,  he  is  not 


St.  John  25 

reliable  as  a  witness  :  he  probably  read  facts  in 
such  a  fashion  as  suited  himself — not  perhaps  con- 
sciously or  deliberately,  but  none  the  less  surely. 
This  is  really  a  childish  begging  of  the  question 
of  the  author's  credibility.  It  is  on  quite  other 
grounds  that  the  reliability  or  unreliability  of  the 
Apostle  as  a  witness  must  be  decided ;  and  with 
some  of  these  we  have,  in  the  section  on  "  internal 
evidence/'  already  dealt.  All  that  we  are  justified 
in  saying  is  that  a  writer  with  a  doctrinal  end  in 
view  will,  when  he  is  compiling  his  history,  lay 
special  stress  upon  those  facts  which  directly  help 
his  aim — and  this  he  is  most  certainly  entitled  to 
do,  so  long  as  he  does  not  conceal  his  intention, 
or  make  any  claim  to  completeness  in  the  stoiy 
he  tells.  John  leaves  out  many  things  which  the 
other  writers  insert :  he  puts  in  a  great  deal  which 
the  other  writers  omit ;  and  all  is  done  in  order 
to  show  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ.  If,  among  the 
facts  which  others  record  and  which  John  leaves 
out,  there  were  any  w^hich  went  to  show  that 
Jesus  is  not  the  Son  of  God,  then,  indeed,  the 
charge  of  bias  and  unreliability  would  stand.  But 
this  is  not  so.  John  does  not  manipulate  facts — 
he  does  but  select,  distribute  the  emphasis  of 
attention,  re-group  the  facts  that  lie  to  his  hand. 
And  he  is  justified  in  so  doing,  inasmuch  as  he 
works  with  the  purpose  of  demonstrating  the 
special  divineness  of  Jesus  to  a  Church  which  had 
begun  to  lose  the  purity  of  its  faith. 

It  is  not  meant,  however,  that  the  Fourth  Gospel 
is  a  piece  of  philosophical  reasoning  in  the  strict 
sense.  It  is  not  a  logical  defence  of  the  doctrine 
of  the  divinity  of  Christ.  John  does  not  move  in 
the  realm  of  abstract  reasoning.     His   Gospel    is 


26   Westminster  New  Testament 

an  inductive  study  of  facts^  the  effect  of  their 
presentation  being  cumulative^  the  whole  mass  of 
factSj  in  the  combination  of  them  within  the  mind, 
being  designed  to  force  the  conclusion  that  nothing 
except  a  special  divineness  in  Jesus  can  account 
for  it.  It  is  on  this  cumulative  impression  of  facts, 
not  upon  any  strictly  logical  demonstration,  that 
the  Apostle  relies.  He  does  not  start  from  given 
theoretical  propositions  and  then  draw  out  the 
inferences  to  which  they  lead  :  the  syllogism  is  not 
the  weapon  he  wields.  The  things  that  Jesus  said 
and  did  are  the  points  of  start ;  and  John  intended 
that  his  readers  should  at  last  be  driven  to  faith 
in  Jesus  as  the  Christ  by  the  impossibility  of  ac- 
counting in  any  other  way  for  the  facts  set  down. 
His  purpose  is  polemic,  true  ;  but  he  is  the  historian 
no  less  than  the  disputant,  and  his  method  is  to 
let  the  facts  speak  for  themselves. 

III.   JOHN  AND  THE  "LOGOS"  DOCTRINE. 

The  fact  that  the  author  of  the  Fourth  Gospel, 
in  his  prologue,  speaks  of  Christ  under  the  desig- 
nation of  the  ^'^Word,"  has  been  fastened  upon 
as  indicating  that  the  book  is  written  less  in  the 
interest  of  history  than  in  that  of  a  philosophical 
theory.  For  the  title  "  Word "  was  frequently 
used  in  current  philosophical  speculation  to  denote 
the  means  of  communication  between  God  and  the 
world — although  the  title  nearly  always  stood  for 
an  impersonal  abstraction  of  some  kind  rather  than, 
as  with  John,  for  a  personal  Being ;  and  the  sug- 
gestion is  that  the  writer  of  the  Gospel,  wishing 
to  vindicate  a  philosophical  status  for  Christianity, 
idealised  the  events  of  the  life  of  Jesus  in  such 


St.  John  27 

a  fashion  as  to  make  it  possible  to  apply  the  title 
to  Jesus  Himself.  Philo  of  Alexandria  1  was  the 
fullest  elaborator  of  the  Logos  idea,  so  that  it  has 
come  to  be  a  standing  assertion  with  some  critics 
that  John,  or  the  author  of  the  Fourth  Gospel,  was 
directly  influenced  by  this  writer,  and  manipulated 
his  material  in  such  wise  as  to  construct  a  Christian- 
ised version  of  Philo's  system.  In  other  words,  the 
history  was  written  up  to  the  philosophical  theory 
which  had  to  be  maintained. 

Probably  it  is  sufficient  reply  to  point  out  how 
little  about  the  "Word,"  in  any  philosophical  sense, 
is  really  to  be  found  in  John's  pages.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  once  the  prologue  is  past,  we  are  launched 
upon  a  straightforward  narrative  of  events,  and  no 
sign  appears  to  indicate  that  the  writer  is  under 
the  dominance  of  any  theory  at  all.  In  short,  the 
book  is  not  written  up  to  the  "  Logos "  doctrine, 
whatever  some  critics  may  say.  Had  the  author 
started  with  the  purpose  of  adjusting  philosophy 
and  facts,  he  would  certainly  have  pointed  out, 
as  the  attempt  progressed,  how  successful  he  had 
been,  and  would  not  have  suffered  his  main  inten- 
tion to  be  so  completely  forgotten.  Beyond  the 
prologue,  the  "  Logos  "  idea — which,  according  to 
the  critics  with  whom  we  are  dealing,  was  master 
in  the  writer's  mind  to  the  extent  of  requiring  an 
actual  idealisation  of  facts — disappears.  That  is, 
the  very  theory  for  whose  sake  the  book  was  com- 
piled drops  out  of  sight.  Most  readers,  approach- 
ing the  question  dispassionately,  would  be  inclined 
to  say  that,  granting  the  '^  Logos "  doctrine  of 
philosophical  speculation  to  have  been  present  to 
John's  mind  while  he  wrote  his  introductory  verses, 

^  B.C.  20-A.D.  50. 


28    Westminster  New  Testament 

it  was  certainly  not  the  ruling  interest  while  the 
body  of  the  Gospel  was  being  shaped. 

It  need  not  be  questioned — at  any  rate,  it  need 
not  be  denied — that  John  had  some  acquaintance 
with  Philo's  work :  indeed,  the  "  Logos  "  idea  was 
part  of  the  current  coin  of  thought,  not  only  in 
Alexandria,  but  in  Asia  too.  And  from  another 
direction  the  use  of  the  title  "Word"  would 
be  familiar  to  the  Apostle  ;  for  in  the  Aramaic 
paraphrases  of  the  Old  Testament  the  term  was 
frequently  employed  instead  of  the  name  of  God, 
when  communications  from  God  to  men  were  in 
question.  One  may  well  suppose,  therefore,  that 
with  the  facts  of  Christ's  life  before  him,  John 
would  think  within  himself,  "  Here,  surely,  is  the 
living  embodiment  of  that  ^  Word ' — that  method 
of  divine  communication  with  men — of  which  philo- 
sophers and  others  have  spoken,"  and  would  rejoice 
to  point  out  how  the  well-known  term  found  its 
best  and  truest  application  to  the  Jesus  of  whom 
he  had  to  tell.  It  is  probable,  indeed,  that  the 
prologue  to  the  Gospel  was  written  after  the  body 
of  the  book,  and  is,  as  it  were,  a  kind  of  epilogue 
set  down  at  the  beginning,  rather  than  a  prologue 
in  the  stricter  sense.  It  was  not  so  much  a  text 
which  the  book  was  to  expound,  as  a  text,  found 
later,  which  expounds — or  supplies  an  appropriate 
motto  for — the  book.  Requiring  one  descriptive 
term  for  the  Jesus  whose  life-story  he  had  written, 
John  uses  the  term  that  lay  ready  to  his  hand. 
That  is  to  say,  he  adopts  a  verbal  expression  rather 
than  an  idea,  and  gives  a  new  content  to  the  ex- 
pression he  adopts.  It  is  not  that  he  adjusts  his 
facts  to  a  philosophical  theory ;  but,  realising  how 
his  facts  can  make  a  better  use  of  the  principal 


St.  John  29 

term  which  the  theory  employs^  he  takes  over  the 
term  and  consecrates  it  to  the  higher  service.  His 
mental  attitude  is  not,  "  I  must  make  Jesus  appear 
as  the  Word/'  but  rather,  "This  Jesus,  surely  He 
is  the  Word."  John  did  not  stretch  the  facts  of 
Christ's  life  to  fit  the  term.  He  stretched  the 
term  to  fit  the  Christ. 

IV.  THE  DIVISIONS  OF  THE  GOSPEL. 

It  is  a  helpful  thing,  in  studying  the  Gospel,  to 
bear  in  mind  that  it  may  be  taken  as  falling  into 
three  main  sections,  exclusive  of  the  prologue. 
The  first  section,  beginning  at  the  nineteenth 
verse  of  the  first  chapter,  shows  Jesus  uttering 
many  words  and  doing  many  deeds  which  in- 
evitably suggest  the  inference  that  here  is  One 
quite  outside  all  ordinary  human  classifications. 
John  speaks,  in  this  section,  ybr  Christ  and  about 
Christ — telling  how  He  turned  water  into  wine, 
how  He  preached  marvellous  doctrine  to  Nicodemus, 
how  He  cleansed  the  Temple,  how  He  revealed  a 
strange  power  of  touching  the  human  heart  in  His 
conversation  with  the  Samaritan  woman,  and  thus 
in  many  ways  building  up  the  portrait  of  Him 
whom  he  would  have  recognised  as  the  specially 
anointed  One  of  God.  From  the  commencement 
of  the  fifth  chapter  to  the  eighteenth  verse  of  the 
tenth,  the  method  changes.  John  does  not  now 
speak  so  much /or  Christ  or  about  Christ,  but  leaves 
Christ  to  speak  for  Himself:  this  is  the  profoundest 
section  of  the  Gospel,  wherein  Christ  delivers  the 
discourses  concerning  Himself  as  the  Bread  of  Life 
and  the  Life-Giver,  and  reveals  the  depth  of  His 
own  consciousness  in  many  startling  words.     In  the 


30   Westminster  New  Testament 

first  section  John  impresses  upon  his  readers  what 
men  saw  and  heard  in  Christ  or  from  Christ :  in 
this  second  section  he  takes  his  readers  into  the 
deepest  places  of  Christ's  inner  Hfe,  and  makes 
them  reaUse  in  measure  what  passes  there.  It  is 
not,  in  this  division,  John  revealing  Christ — it  is 
Christ  revealing  Himself.  Finally,  in  the  third 
section — from  the  point  indicated  to  the  end — the 
Apostle  returns  to  his  first  method,  taking  up  the 
story  again  from  the  spectator's  point  of  view — the 
story  being  almost  entirely  concerned,  in  this  last 
division,  with  death  in  its  approach  and  its  con- 
summation and  its  resurrection-sequel,  and  the 
inference  of  divineness  in  this  marvellous  Jesus 
being  made  to  appear  inevitable  once  more.  It  is 
true  that  the  farewell  sayings  and  prayers  recorded 
in  this  section  give  us  a  glimpse  into  the  depths  of 
Christ's  soul,  no  less  than  do  the  discourses  of  the 
second  division ;  but  nevertheless  the  narrator 
does  not  drop  so  entirely  out  of  sight  as  is  the  case 
in  the  middle  section  of  the  three. 

Every  reader  will  of  course  be  able  to  make  for 
himself  some  division  of  the  Gospel  which  will 
assist  his  memory  and  understanding.  But  having 
regard  to  the  Apostle's  main  purpose — the  purpose 
of  showing  that  this  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God — the  division  here  suggested  will,  it  is  thought, 
keep  that  purpose  clear  in  the  reader's  mind  while 
he  reads,  and  enable  him  to  see  most  vividly  how 
the  purpose  has  been  fulfilled.  It  adheres  most 
closely  to  John's  main  idea  as  John  himself  declares 
it.  The  Christ  from  Without — then  the  Christ 
from  Within — then  the  Christ  from  Without  once 
more — all  the  three  impressions  coalescing  into 
the  figure  of  One  who  must  be  the  Son  of  God. 


John  I.  1-18. 
THE  PROLOGUE. 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was 

2  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God.     The  same  was 

3  in  the  beginning  with  God.  All  things  were  made 
by  him  ;    and  without  him  was  not  any  thing  made 

4  that  was  made.     In  him  was  life  ;    and  the  life  was 

5  the  light  of  men.     And  the  light  shineth  in  darkness  ; 

6  and  the  darkness  comprehended  it  not.     There  was 

7  a  man  sent  from  God,  whose  name  was  John.  The 
same  came  for  a  witness,  to  bear  witness  of  the  Light, 

8  that  all  men  through  him  might  believe.  He  was 
not  that  Light,  but  was  sent  to  bear  witness  of  that 

9  Light.     That    was    the    true    Light,    which   lighteth 

10  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world.  He  was  in 
the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  by  him,  and  the 

11  world  knew  him  not.     He  came  unto  his  own,  and 

12  his  own  received  him  not.  But  as  many  as  received 
him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to  become  the  sons  of 

13  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  his  name  :  which 
were  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh, 

14  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God.  And  the  Word 
was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us,  (and  we  beheld 
his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the 

15  Father,)  full  of  grace  and  truth.  John  bare  witness 
of  him,  and  cried,  saying,  This  was  he  of  whom  I 
spake.  He  that  cometh  after  me  is  preferred  before 

16  me:  for  he  was  before  me.     And  of  his  fulness  have 


32    Westminster  New  Testament 

17  all  we  received,  and  grace  for  grace.  For  the  law- 
was  given  by  Moses,  but  grace  and  truth  came  by 

18  Jesus  Christ.  No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time  ; 
the  only  begotten  Son,  which  is  in  the  bosom  of 
the  Father,  he  hath  declared  him. 

The  prologue  to  John's  Gospel  supplies^  so  to 
say,  a  standard  for  the  reader's  mind.  It  is  not 
precisely  an  outline  which  the  main  contents  of 
the  book  are  to  fill  up ;  for,  as  has  been  said,  we 
hear  little  of  the  "  Word "  in  the  sense  of  the 
prologue  once  the  prologue  itself  is  passed.  And 
it  is  not  precisely  a  summary  of  the  contents  of  the 
Gospel ;  for  there  is  hardly  any  reference  to  the 
actual  historic  facts  of  the  life  of  Jesus.  It 
indicates,  rather,  the  final  inference  which  John 
himself  has  drawn  from  his  study  of  these  facts — 
the  inference  that  Jesus  is  the  last  and  highest 
development  of  that  divine  self-manifestation 
which  has  been  going  on  from  the  beginning ; 
and,  in  giving  this  indication,  it  supplies  a  test 
and  standard  to  which  the  reader  may  constantly 
refer  as  he  passes  on.  Very  likely,  as  has 
previously  been  said,  the  prologue  was  written 
last ;  and  John  sets  it  in  its  place  where  it  stands 
in  order  that  his  readers,  perceiving  where  his  own 
study  has  led  him,  may  ask  themselves  all  through 
whether  this  is  not  also  the  goal  to  which  they  are 
being  led.  "  Remember,  as  you  read,  that  I  claim 
this  Jesus  as  the  ^  Word.'  Does  not  the  story  con- 
strain you,  too,  to  admit  the  claim  .?  " 

The  prologue  emphasises  two  ideas,  in  a  manner 
two  contrasted  ideas,  concerning  Christ.  On  the 
one  hand  it  declares  His  absolute  uniqueness — this 
being  of  course  implied  in  John's  identification  of 
Christ  with  the  Word  ;  and  on  the  other  hand  it 


St.  John  33 

declares  the  entire  naturalness  of  His  coming.  His 
advent  was  the  one  thing  to  which  all  history  had 
been  tending,  and  for  which  the  world  was  pre- 
pared.    (See  on  vv.  3,  10,  11.) 

Concerning  the  Logos  doctrine  more  particularly, 
see  Introduction. 

1.  In  the  beginning.  From  eternity,  before 
the  history  of  the  world  began.  It  is  from 
this  standpoint  that  the  prologue  deals  with 
Christ.  He  is  the  fulfilment  of  an  eternal 
intention. 

the  Word.  God's  self-communication.  From 
the  beginning  God  had  purposed  the  self-revela- 
tion which  culminated  in  Christ.  The  other 
phrases  in  vv.  1  and  2  repeat  and  emphasise  the 
same  idea. 

3.  The  words  are  usually  taken  as  simply 
intimating  that  the  Word  was  the  active  agent  in 
creation.  In  reality,  however,  they  have  a  much 
wider  range.  Looking  at  the  whole  process  of 
human  history — not  merely  at  the  original  process 
of  creation — from  the  eternal  standpoint,  the 
declaration  is  made  that  it  is  completed,  and  was 
intended  to  be  completed,  through  the  self- 
communication  of  God  in  Christ.  Once  again, 
Christ  is  the  fulfilment  of  an  eternal  intention. 
He  is  the  means  by  which  the  final  '^making" — 
the  return  of  human  life  to  the  God  who  is  its 
source — was  originally  meant  to  be  carried  through. 
Christ  was  no  after- thought.  He  is  part  of  the 
first  scheme  of  things  as  God  conceived  it. 

4.  In  him  was  life.  Cf.  other  passages  in  the 
Gospel.  For  example,  5.  26,  which  may  in  a 
manner  be  called  the  key-text  of  the  book.  Christ 
as  Life-Giver  is  the  central  idea  of  it — the  idea 


34   Westminster  New  Testament 

being  of  course  only  another  aspect  of  Christ  as 
endowed  with  special  divineness. 

According  to  one  arrangement,  the  end  of  v.  3 
connects  with  v.  4,  and  the  whole  passage  reads 
"  that  which  was  made  was  life  in  him."  The 
sense  remains  substantially  unaltered. 

the  light  of  men.  Christ,  by  what  He  was, 
revealed  man  to  himself,  and  the  destiny  for  which 
man  was  made. 

5.  the  darkness  comprehended  it  not.  A 
better  reading  is  "  the  darkness  overcame  it  not " 
(R.V.  marg.).  The  meaning  thus  becomes  that 
though  Christ  had  the  darkness  of  the  world  to 
contend  against,  yet  it  did  not  deprive  His  mission 
of  its  final  success.  And  thus  this  verse  looks  on 
to  V.  12.  There  were  at  any  rate  some  who  re- 
ceived Him. 

6.  The  writer  makes  an  attempt  to  settle  down 
to  the  earthly  history,  as  if  descending  from  the 
lofty  heights  he  has  stood  on  till  now. 

John.  The  author  of  the  Gospel  does  not  think 
it  necessary  to  give  him  the  title  of  "the  Baptist." 
The  other  Evangelists  do  so  to  distinguish  him 
from  the  Apostle.  The  Apostle  himself,  in  his 
humility,  omits  it. 

7.  8.  Expanded  in  vv.  19-27. 

9-  There  are  three  possible  renderings  of  this 
verse.  That  of  the  A.V.  is  one.  That  of  the 
R.V.  is  another.  Or  we  may  read  it  as  a  simple 
historical  statement,  "  There  was  coming  into  the 
world  the  true  Light  which  lighteth  every  man." 
The  rendering  to  be  adopted  depends  upon  whether 
the  last  clause  is  connected  with  "  was,"  or  with 
"  every  man,"  or  with  "  the  true  Light."  The 
R.V.  rendering  is  probably  the  best. 


St.  John  35 

10,  11.  John  quits  the  historical  Hne  he  began 
in  V.  6,  carried  from  it  by  the  pathos  of  the  tale 
he  has  to  tell.  It  was  Christ's  own  world,  and 
yet  the  world  rejected  Him  !  They  that  rejected 
Him  were  |His  own,  and  should  have  welcomed 
Him  gladly.  The  suggestion  is  that  of  the 
naturalness  of  Christ's  coming  (see  above).  He 
was  precisely  the  One  for  whom  the  w^orld  should 
have  been  prepared. 

12.  Yet  His  mission  did  not  fail  (see  v.  5.) 
Some  received  Him. 

received  him.  This  is  anticipatory  of  some 
of  the  deeper  phrases  of  this  Gospel,  such  as  eating 
the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and  drinking  His 
blood  (6.  53),  etc. 

power  to  become.  The  idea  is  that  of 
development.  Receiving  Christ  starts  man  in  a 
process  of  living  growth. 

believe  on  his  name.    The  word  "believe" 

must  be  read  in  the  light  of  the  previous  ex- 
pression, "received  him."  "Name"  means  the 
whole  nature,  the  whole  Christ.  To  believe  on 
His  name  is  to  receive  Christ  within. 

13.  This  looks  on  to  Christ's  teaching  about  the 
new  birth  in  chapter  3.  The  result  of  receiving 
Christ  is  a  real  beginning  of  new  life,  not  a  mere 
superficial  change. 

14.  John  can  find  no  excuse  for  the  rejection  of 
Christ  by  His  own.  The  shining  of  His  glory 
had  been  so  clear. 

was  made  flesh.  The  words  point  to  a  real 
entrance  into  human  life  and  human  conditions. 
Christ's  humanity  was  not  a  mere  appearance,  as 
was  maintained  by  some  of  those  whom  John 
sought  to  refute. 


36   Westminster  New  Testament 

only  begotten.  An  explicit  assertion  of  the 
uniqueness  of  Jesus.     He  was  not  as  other  sons. 

grace  and  truth.  Christ  was  full  of  love, 
but  His  love  was  also  ^^  truth" — faithful  to  the 
eternal  Will  and  Idea.  Even  in  His  love  He 
revealed  the  original  deteniiination  of  God.  Cf. 
His  own  assertion,  "I  am  the  Truth,"  in  14.  6. 
And  because  His  ^^  grace"  is  also  "truth,"  human 
hearts  may  rely  upon  it  the  more. 

15.  The  Evangelist  makes  another  attempt  to 
begin  the  narrative,  to  descend  from  the  great 
heights  of  thought  where  he  has  been.  The 
testimony  of  the  Baptist,  which  is  here  partially 
given,  is  carried  on  in  v.  30. 

16.  The  Evangelist  is  forced  up  to  the  high 
levels  once  more.  He  cannot  at  the  moment 
continue  the  narrative,  of  his  fulness  refers 
back  to  the  "  full  of  grace  and  truth  "  in  v.  14. 

17.  The  verse  suggests  Christ's  grace  and  truth 
as  a  contrast  to  the  Mosaic  dispensation,  and  yet 
as  a  fulfilment  of  it.  The  Mosaic  law,  inculcating 
commands  and  prohibitions,  gives  place  to  Christ's 
offer  of  sonship  (v.  12)  to  those  who  received  Him. 
And  yet  Christ  also  fulfils  the  law,  in  that  He 
accomplishes  by  His  salvation  all  that  the  law  had 
vainly  sought  to  perform. 

The  verse  suggests  that  the  coming  of  Christ 
was  indeed  a  new  epoch  in  the  world's  history. 
It  was  not  only  a  new  apprehension  of  God  by  man 
— it  was  a  new  acting  of  God  upon  man. 

18.  This  is  the  definite,  categorical  statement 
in  which  John  tries,  as  it  were,  to  make  a  complete 
deliverance  of  his  mind — the  statement  which  has 
been  struggling  for  expression  in  him  all  through. 
Note   the  "  up   and   down   movement,"  to  which 


St.  John  37 

reference  has  already  been  made  (vv.  6  and  15), 
reaching  its  climax  in  this  declaration.  At  last 
John  sets  his  thought  free  and  gives  it  speech. 

No  man  hath  seen,  etc.  Christ,  therefore,  is 
no  mere  man,  and,  moreover,  in  declaring  the 
Father,  does  for  man  what  man  could  never  have 
done  for  himself. 

the  only  begotten  Son.    Or,  "  God  the  only 

begotten  "  (R.V.  marg.). 

No  man  hath  seen  God — yet  man  wants  God — 
and  in  Christ  the  need  is  met.  The  consciousness 
of  man's  desire  for  God  is  like  an  undertone 
beneath  the  first  part  of  the  verse.  The  second 
part  strikes  a  triumphant  note. 

which    is  in   the   bosom  of  the  Father. 

This  refers  just  as  much  to  the  earthly  life  of 
Jesus  as  to  His  eternal  relation  with  God.  Even 
on  earth  Jesus  was  "  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father  " 
— and  from  this  thought  John  passes  on  to  begin 
the  history  he  has  to  write. 


John  I.  19-28. 
THE  BAPTIST'S  TESTIMONY  TO  CHRIST. 

19  And  this  is  the  record  of  John,  when  the  Jews  sent 
priests  and  Levites  from  Jerusalem  to  ask  him,  Who 

20  art    thou  ?     And    he    confessed,    and    denied    not  ; 

21  but  confessed,  I  am  not  the  Christ.  And  they  asked 
him,  What  then  ?  Art  thou  Elias  ?  And  he  saith, 
I    am    not.      Art    thou    that    prophet  ?      And     he 

22  answered,  No.  Then  said  they  unto  him.  Who  art 
thou  ?    that  we  may  give  an  answer  to  them  that 

23  sent  us.     What  sayest  thou  of  thyself  ?     He  said,  I 


38   Westminster  New  Testament 

am  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  ISIake 
straight  the  way  of  the  Lord,  as  said  the  prophet 

24  Esaias.     And    they   which   were    sent    were    of    the 

25  Pharisees.  And  they  asked  him,  and  said  unto  him, 
Why  baptizest  thou  then,  if  thou  be  not  that  Christ, 

26  nor  EUas,  neither  that  prophet  ?  John  answered 
them,    saying,    I    baptize    with    water  :    but    there 

27  standeth  one  among  you,  whom  ye  know  not  ;  he  it 
is,  who  coming  after  me  is  preferred  before  me,  whose 

28  shoe's  latchet  I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose.  These 
things  were  done  in  Bethabara  beyond  Jordan,  where 
John  was  baptizing. 

It  is  necessary  to  distinguish  the  testimony  here 
recorded  from  that  which  is  given  in  the  other 
three  Gospels.  The  testimony  given  in  Matthew, 
Mark,  and  Luke  w^as  spoken  to  the  multitude  in 
general,  while  that  before  us  was  given  to  a  deputa- 
tion from  the  Pharisees  (v.  24).  As  would  be 
expected,  there  is  a  general  similarity  in  the  two 
testimonies,  but  there  are  points  of  difference  too. 
In  addition  to  the  fact  that  the  Fourth  Gospel 
shows  us  a  different  audience  for  the  Baptist's 
Avords,  w'e  are  compelled  to  differentiate  between 
the  two  testimonies  by  the  further  fact  that  the 
Temptation  of  Jesus  must  have  taken  place  before 
the  events  recorded  in  John  1.  19-28,  inasmuch  as 
there  is  no  room  for  it  between  these  events  and 
the  beginning  of  chapter  2.  (See  vv.  29  and  35 
of  this  chapter,  and  v.  1  in  chapter  2.,  which  enable 
us  to  trace  the  exact  lapse  of  time.)  The 
testimony  in  the  other  Gospels  precedes  the 
Temptation. 

It  is  clear  that  the  religious  authorities  liad 
already  begun  to  show  a  critical  spirit.  The 
ministry    of  the  forerunner,  like    the  ministry  of 


St.  John  39 

Christ  Himself,  was  distasteful  to  the  men  who 
hated  any  interference  witli  their  own  religious 
authority.  How  hopeless — from  the  human  point 
of  view — Christ's  mission  was  bound  to  be,  is 
sufficiently  evident  from  the  swiftness  with  which 
the  enmity  of  the  Pharisees  sprang  to  life  when 
the  Baptist  preached. 

19.  the  Jews.  John  always  uses  the  term  in 
a  special  sense.  It  denotes,  with  him,  not  the 
nation  as  a  whole,  but  the  ecclesiastical  authorities 
— the  Sanhedrin. 

Who  art  thou  ?  As  it  was  known  that  some 
of  the  multitude  held  the  Baptist  for  the  Messiah, 
the  deputation  put  their  question  in  emphatic 
form.  "  Whom — after  all  this  excitement — do  you 
really  claim  to  be  ?  " 

20.  Seeing  that  they  expected  him  to  claim  to 
be  the  Messiah,  John  at  once  disavows  the  claim. 
The  claim  had  already  been  made  in  other 
cases. 

21.  Elias.  The  return  of  Elijah  was  one  of  the 
things  to  which  the  nation  looked  forward  in  con- 
nection with  the  Messiah's  advent.  (Compare 
Luke  1.  17  and  Matt.  17.  11.)  Although  the 
Baptist  denied  that  he  was  Elias,  yet  Jesus 
Himself  said  in  the  latter  passage  that  in  the 
Baptist  the  expected  return  of  Elias  had  taken 
place. 

that  prophet.  The  prophet  foretold  by 
Moses  in  Deut.  18.  15.  By  some  he  was  iden- 
tified with  Jeremiah. 

23.  The  reference  is  to  a  frequent  custom  of  the 
East,  where  a  herald  usually  goes  in  advance  of  a 
ruler  or  a  great  man  to  announce  his  coming  and 
to  see  that  proper  preparation  is  made. 


40   Westminster  New  Testament 

This  is  the  essential  point  of  the  Baptist's  testi- 
mony. By  declaring  himself  to  be  the  herald  of 
the  Lord,  spoken  of  by  Isaiah  (40.  3),  John  gives 
the  definite  Messianic  witness  to  Christ. 

24.  the  Pharisees.  The  Pharisees  were  the 
most  conservative  of  the  Jewish  sects,  and  the 
most  ready,  therefore,  to  resent  any  such  intrusion 
into  their  OM^n  realm  as  the  Baptist  seemed  to  be 
making. 

25.  Why  baptizest  thou  then?  To  the 
deputation,  it  seemed  as  though  John  had  con- 
demned himself  by  confessing  that  he  was  not 
the  Messiah,  nor  Elias,  nor  ^^that  prophet."  Any 
one  of  these  three  might  have  administered 
baptism  as  a  seal  of  discipleship,  but  how  could 
this  man,  who  admitted  himself  to  be  nobody, 
have  any  right  to  do  so  ? 

Baptism  of  proselytes  was  probably  already 
known  among  the  Jew'S — indeed,  the  very  form 
of  the  question  in  this  verse  implies  that  the  rite 
itself  was  familiar.  But  "baptism  unto  repent- 
ance" as  John  practised  it  was  a  new  thing. 

26.  27.  John  does  not  give  a  direct  reply. 
Instead,  he  seeks,  as  he  had  sought  in  v.  23, 
to  drive  the  thoughts  of  his  interrogators  away 
from  himself  to  One  who  is  to  come — who  was, 
in  fact,  already  "  among  you."  V.  27  refers  to  a 
saying  in  the  Jewish  schools,  to  the  effect  that 
a  scholar  should  do  any  service  for  his  teacher, 
except  the  unloosing  of  his  sandal.  That  was 
too  lowly  a  service  even  for  a  pupil  to  render. 
Yet  the  Baptist  held  the  service,  not  too  lowly, 
but  too  high. 

28.  Bethabara  beyond  Jordan.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  true  reading  is  given  in  the  R.V., 


St.  John  41 

"Bethany  beyond  Jordan."  "  Bethabara  "  means 
"  ferry/'  or  "  ford  "  ;  and  the  ford  of  Abara  leads 
into  the  province  of  Batanea^  which  is  probably 
the  place  to  which  the  verse  refers.  "  Bethabara  " 
was  a  conjecture  of  Origen's^  and  was  perhaps  made 
because  in  his  time  no  "  Bethany "  beyond  the 
Jordan  was  known. 


John  I.  29-34. 

THE  BAPTIST'S  SECOND  AND  LARGER 
TESTIMONY. 

29  The  next  day  John  seeth  Jesus  coming  unto  him,  and 
saith,  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away 

30  the  sin  of  the  world.  This  is  he  of  whom  I  said, 
After  me  cometh  a  man  which  is  preferred  before 

31  me  :  for  he  was  before  me.  And  I  knew  him  not  : 
but    that    he    should    be    made   manifest    to    Israel, 

32  therefore  am  I  come  baptizing  with  water.  And 
John  bare  record,  saying,  I  saw  the  Spirit  descending 
from  heaven  like  a  dove,  and  it  abode  upon  him. 

S3  And  I  knew  him  not  :  but  he  that  sent  me  to  baptize 
with  water,  the  same  said  unto  me.  Upon  whom  thou 
shalt  see  the  Spirit  descending,  and  remaining  on 
him,  the  same  is  he  which  baptizeth  with  the  Holy 

34  Ghost.  And  I  saw,  and  bare  record  that  this  is 
the  Son  of  God. 

This  second  testimony  goes  further  than  the 
first,  and  is  the  Baptist's  recognition  of  Jesus, 
not  only  as  the  Messiah,  but  as  the  Saviour  from 
sin.  The  Messianic  idea  had  been  purified  and 
enlarged  in  the  Baptist's  own  mind — probably  in 
great  part  through  the  circumstances  attending 
the  baptism  of  Jesus,  to  which  allusion  is   made 


42    Westminster  New  Testament 

ill  V.  32 ;  and  in  this  public  utterance  he  seeks 
to  turn  the  thoughts  of  those  who  hear  to  the 
moral  aspect  of  Messiah's  mission.  This  Jesus 
was  the  Messiah  indeed  —  but  had  the  people 
realised  what  was  in  truth  the  most  essential 
part  of  Messiah's  work? 

29-  Lamb  of  God.  The  reference  is  to  Isa. 
53.  7,  and,  more  particularly,  to  the  sacrifice  for 
sin  typified  in  the  Paschal  lamb,  whereof  Jesus 
was  to  be  the  anti-type. 

of  the  world.  The  Messiah's  redemptive  work, 
therefore,  was  not  to  be  confined  to  Israel  alone. 
The  Baptist  was  enlarging  the  conception  of  the 
Messianic  ministry  not  only  as  to  its  contents,  but 
as  to  the  range  of  its  application.  He  perceived 
already  what  the  early  Christian  Church  was 
afterwards  not  specially  swift  to  see. 

31.  I  knew  him  not.  This  does  not  refer  to 
personal  acquaintance.  The  Baptist  knew  Jesus 
before  His  baptism,  as  is  evident  from  the  words 
with  which  he  greeted  Jesus  when  He  came 
(Matt.  3.  14).  But  John  had  not  realised  the 
official  character  and  mission  of  Jesus  until  the 
descent  of  the  dove. 

but  that  he,  etc.  This  shows  how  the  Baptist's 
thought  about  Jesus,  which  had  hitherto  perhaps 
been  somewhat  unformed,  at  any  rate  lacking 
in  finality  and  definiteness,  had  noAV  crystallised 
into  shape.  He  knew  now  precisely  the  purpose 
of  his  own  ministry,  and  the  purpose  of  Christ's, 
and  the  relation  between  the  two. 

32.  I  saw  the  Spirit,  etc.  The  other  Gospels 
tell  us  that  the  sign  was  also  seen  by  Jesus 
Himself,  so  that  it  was  no  subjective  delusion 
of  John's  own  mind. 


St.  John  43 

33.  John  had  been  expectant  of  something  to 
come,  havmg  received  the  premonition  alhided 
to  here  ;  and  the  events  of  the  baptism  of  Jesus 
had  given  a  centre  to  all  the  unfixed  movements 
and  emotions  of  which  he  had  been  conscious 
within.     What  had  been  vague  became  clear. 

34.  the  Son  of  God.  The  title  was  given  to 
Jesus  at  His  baptism  (see  Synoptists).  This  verse 
connects  back  to  v.  18.  John  the  Apostle  indicates 
how  the  testimony  of  the  Baptist  is  at  one  with 
his  own. 


John  I.  35-Si. 

THE  CALLING  OF  THE  FIRST  DISCIPLES. 

35  Again  the  next  day  after  John  stood,  and  two  of  his 

$6  disciples  ;     and   looking   upon    Jesus   as  he  walked, 

Sy  he  saith,  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  !     And  the  two 

disciples  heard  him  speak,  and  they  followed  Jesus. 

38  Then  Jesus  turned,  and  saw  them  following,  and  saith 
unto  them,  What  seek  ye  ?  They  said  unto  him, 
Rabbi,  (which  is  to  say,  being  interpreted,  Master,) 

39  where  dwellest  thou  ?  He  saith  unto  them.  Come 
and  see.  They  came  and  saw  where  he  dwelt,  and 
abode  with  him  that  day  :  for  it  was  about  the  tenth 

40  hour.  One  of  the  two  which  heard  John  speak,  and 
followed  him,  was  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother. 

41  He  first  findeth  his  own  brother  Simon,  and  saith 
unto    him,   We   have   found   the   Messias,    which  is 

42  being  interpreted,  the  Christ.  And  he  brought  him 
to  Jesus.  And  when  Jesus  beheld  him,  he  said,  Thou 
art  Simon   the  son  of  Jona  :    thou  shalt  be  called 

43  Cephas,  which  is  by  interpretation,  A  stone.  The 
day  following  Jesus  would  go  forth  into  Galilee,  and 


44    Westminster  New  Testament 

44  findeth  Philip,  and  saith  unto  him,  Follow  me.  Now 
Philip  was  of  Bethsaida,   the  city  of  Andrew  and 

45  Peter.  Philip  findeth  Nathanael,  and  saith  unto 
him,  We  have  found  him,  of  whom  Moses  in  the  law, 
and  the  prophets,  did  write,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the 

46  son  of  Joseph.  And  Nathanael  said  unto  him.  Can 
there  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ?     Philip 

47  saith  unto  him,  Come  and  see.  Jesus  saw  Nathanael 
coming  to  him,  and  saith  of  him.  Behold  an  Israelite 

48  indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile  !  Nathanael  saith  unto 
him.  Whence  knowest  thou  me  ?  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  him.  Before  that  Philip  called  thee, 
when    thou   wast    under   the   fig   tree,    I    saw   thee. 

49  Nathanel  answered  and  saith  unto  him,  Rabbi,  thou 
art  the  Son  of  God  ;    thou  art  the  King  of  Israel. 

50  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him.  Because  I  said 
unto  thee,  I  saw  thee  under  the  fig  tree,  believest 

5 1  thou  ?  thou  shalt  see  greater  things  than  these.  And 
he  saith  unto  him.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you. 
Hereafter  ye  shall  see  heaven  open,  and  the  angels 
of  God  ascending  and  descending  upon  the  Son  of 


The  Gospel  of  John  is  to  be  read  throughout 
with  a  remembrance  of  the  Apostle's  purpose  in 
writing  it — the  purpose  of  manifesting  the  entirely 
unique  character  of  Jesus.  In  this  section  John 
shows  how  Jesus  possessed  a  marvellous  power 
over  men  of  various  types  and  dispositions,  how 
from  the  beginning  He  had  the  secret  of  dealing 
with  human  hearts,  whatever  their  special  char- 
acteristics might  be.  "  For  a  first  mark  of  His 
wholly  exceptional  character/'  the  Apostle  seems 
to  say,  "  notice  how,  at  the  outset  of  His  ministry. 
He  was  prepared  for  every  varying  description  of 
man  that  crossed  His  path." 


St.  John  45 

This  calling  must  be  distinguished  from  that 
recorded  in  Matt.  4.  18  etc.,  and  in  Mark  1.  17 
etc.  The  calling  recorded  in  these  passages  took 
place  in  Galilee,  whereas  the  calling  recorded  in 
John  took  place  in  Judaea  ;  and,  moreover,  the 
narratives  differ  in  many  details.  For  example, 
here  Andrew  of  his  ow  n  initiative  follows  Jesus : 
in  Matthew,  it  is  Jesus  that  calls  Andrew.  It 
may  be  taken  that  the  callings  which  John  here 
records  attached  these  disciples  to  Jesus  by  the 
ties  of  affection  and  reverence.  The  subsequent 
callings  recorded  in  the  Synoptists  were,  so  to 
say,  the  "official"  callings,  summoning  the  called 
away  from  the  ordinary  occupations  of  life  to  settled 
discipleship. 

35.  two  of  his  disciples.  One  of  these  is 
said  (in  v.  40)  to  be  Andrew.  The  other  was 
in  all  probability  the  Apostle  John  himself.  It 
is  his  custom,  through  the  book,  to  avoid  mention 
of  his  own  name ;  and  had  anyone  else  been 
referred  to  here,  the  name  would  have  been  set 
down. 

26.  And  looking  .  .  .  saith.  The  Baptist 
speaks  as  if  he  seized  eagerly  upon  the  oppor- 
tunity of  repeating  his  testimony  to  the  Messiah's 
redemptive  work.  A  further  instance  of  his 
humility,  of  his  readiness  to  efface  himself  so 
that  the  greater  One  might  be  honoured, 

37.  they  followed.  The  Baptist  had  issued 
no  command,  but  they  knew  that  a  follow- 
ing of  Jesus  was  what  this  repeated  testimony 
pointed  to. 

38.  What  seek  ye?  The  question  was  de- 
signed to  make  them  look  within  their  own  minds, 
and  arrive  at  a  definite  reason  for  their  adherence  to 


46   Westminster  New  Testament 

Christ.  Jesus  wanted  to  transform  this  impulsive 
discipleship  into  a  discipleship  that  could  give 
account  of  itself  and  its  motive.  Here  we  have 
the  first  type  of  character  which  John  shows  us 
in  contact  with  Jesus — the  man  who  undertakes 
discipleship  at  the  bidding  of  sudden  impulse. 
This  kind  of  discipleship  does  not  satisfy  Christy 
and  He  strives  to  make  it  a  deeper  thing. 

Rabbi.  The  fact  that  John  supplies  the  ex- 
planation of  this  title  indicates  that  he  wrote  for 
non-Jewish  readers. 

where  dwellest  thou  ?  The  best  reply  they 
could  give.  If  they  could  not  precisely  say  what 
they  sought^  they  wanted  at  any  rate  to  commune 
with  Jesus  Himself;  and  in  this  desire  lay  the 
promise  of  a  perfected  discipleship  in  the  end. 

39.  the  tenth  hour.  The  reckoning  of  time 
was  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  Hence  the  tenth  hour 
was  4>  p.m. 

41.  We  have  found  the  Messias.  The  con- 
versation with  Jesus  had  driven  Andrew  into  decided 
conviction  and  firmness  of  tone.  Previously^  Jesus 
had  been  called  only  "  Rabbi/'  or  Teacher — now 
He  is  recognised  definitely  as  the  Messiah. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  how  the  relative  places 
of  Andrew  and  Peter  were  afterwards  changed. 
Here,  it  is  Andrew  who  brings  Peter  to  Christ ; 
but  Peter  came  to  occupy  by  far  the  more  import- 
ant place  in  the  apostolic  band. 

42.  beheld  him.  The  word  used  indicates  a 
penetrating  gaze,  which  searched  the  inmost  soul 
of  him  on  whom  it  was  directed.  It  is  only  em- 
ployed twice  in  the  Gospel — here  and  previously 
in  V.  36,  where  it  is  said  that  the  Baptist ''  looked  " 
upon  Jesus. 


St.  John  47 

son  of  Jona.  The  true  reading  is  "son  of 
John/'  as  in  R.V. 

Cephas.  A  "stone"  or  a  "rock."  In  thus 
giving  a  changed  name^  Jesus  promised  a  changed 
character,  and  indicated  that  the  man  of  fitful 
mood  and  cliangeful  temperament  was  to  become 
one  of  the  steadfast  pillars  of  the  Church.  Here 
John  shows  us  Jesus  in  contact  with  a  second  type 
of  man,  and  shows,  too,  how  Jesus  felt  that  the 
transformation  of  a  character  like  Peter's  was  not 
too  great  a  task. 

43.  Philip.  Not  the  Phihp  mentioned  in  the 
Acts.  For  other  allusions,  see  6.  5-7,  12.  21  etc., 
and  14.  8. 

Here  John  shows  Jesus  asserting  His  authority, 
and  finding  rather  than  being  found.  That  Philip 
yielded  to  the  call  is  evident  from  v.  45,  and  the 
fact  witnesses  to  the  moral  grandeur  and  magnetism 
which  from  the  beginning  Christ  showed  forth. 

44.  Bethsaida.  Bethsaida  of  Galilee,  as  it  is 
sometimes  called.  It  may  be  taken  as  probable, 
though  the  question  has  been  largely  debated,  that 
there  were  two  Bethsaidas — the  one  mentioned 
here,  on  the  western  side  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  and 
Bethsaida  Julias,  on  the  Jordan,  a  little  to  the  north 
of  the  Sea. 

45.  Nathanael.  No  doubt  one  with  Bar- 
tholomew, as  the  other  Evangelists  name  him. 
Bartholomew  is  associated  with  Philip  in  the 
Synoptists'  lists,  just  as  Nathanael  is  associated 
with  Philip  here. 

The  way  in  which  Philip  addresses  Nathanael, 
plunging  at  once  m  medias  res,  suggests  that  the 
two  friends  had  previously  discussed  the  question 
of  the  Messiah. 


48    Westminster  New  Testament 

46.  The  point  of  Nathanael's  question — or  rather, 
exclamation  of  incredulous  surprise — lay  in  the 
fact  that  Galilee  was  held  to  lie  beyond  that 
circle  of  special  divine  influence  out  of  which  good 
was  supposed  to  come  (see  7.  52).  Nazareth 
itself,  however,  was  probably  not  the  squalid  and 
small  place  it  has  been  commonly  represented  as 
being.  Dr.  Merril,  in  his  book,  Galilee  in  the  Time 
of  Christ,  estimates  Nazareth  to  have  been  a  city 
of  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants.  But  it  is  not 
mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  there  was 
something  startling  in  the  idea  that  the  Messiah 
should  come  thence. 

47.  The  interview  here  recorded  shows  us  Jesus 
in  contact  with  yet  another  type  of  man — a  doubter 
of  a  sort.  But  he  was  an  honest  inquirer,  ready 
to  "  come  and  see  "  when  Philip  invited  him  to  do 
so.  Jesus  therefore  welcomed  him  gladly,  not 
shrinking  from  any  test  that  the  spirit  of  inquiry 
in  Nathanael  might  apply. 

Christ's  word  about  Nathanael  is  a  recognition 
of  the  right  spirit  that  dwelt  in  him,  and  of  his 
eagerness  to  know  the  truth.  "Without  guile"  is 
a  frequent  Biblical  expression  for  a  true  man 
(see  Ps.  32.  2,  34.  13;  1  Pet.  2.  1  etc.). 

48.  That  Christ's  knowledge  of  Nathanael  was 
due  to  special  supernatural  insight,  and  not  to  any 
previous  acquaintance,  is  evident.  "I  saw  thee" 
refers,  clearly,  not  to  literal  sight,  but  to  knowledge 
otherwise  obtained.  Nathanael  himself  takes  it  so, 
as  shown  in  the  impression  made  upon  him  by 
Christ's  words  ;  and  Jesus  (v.  50)  accepts  Nathanael's 
interpretation. 

49.  Nathanael,  all  his  doubts  swept  away,  hails 
Jesus    by   the    highest    Messianic    titles.       Once 


St.  John  49 

again,  the  Evangelist  returns  upon  a  previous 
''  testimony/'  and  shows  how  Nathanael  repeated, 
in  his  ascription  of  the  title  '^  Son  of  God/'  what 
the  Baptist  had  said  (v.  34). 

50.  greater  things  than  these.  The  refer- 
ence is  to  the  effects  which  were  to  be  produced 
by  the  life  and  ministry  of  Jesus.  The  ^'^  greater 
things"  are  further  spoken  of  in  v.  51  as  an  ascent 
and  descent  of  the  ^^ angels  of  God" — meaning 
that  through  the  work  of  Christ  harmony  would 
be  restored  between  heaven  and  earth. 

51.  Son  of  man.  The  title  by  which  Jesus 
most  frequently  described  Himself.  It  is  not, 
however,  applied  to  Him  by  New  Testament 
writers.  Here  it  would  add  to  the  conceptions 
of  Him  which  Nathanael  had  already  expressed 
(v.  49)  a  completing  and  fulfilling  idea. 


John  2.  i-ii. 

CHRIST'S  POWER  OVER  NATURE:  THE 
FIRS      MIRACLE. 

And  the  third  day  there  was  a  marriage  in  Cana  of 

2  Galilee  ;    and  the  mother  of  Jesus  was  there  :    and 
both    Jesus   was   called,    and    his    disciples,    to    the 

3  marriage.     And  when  they  wanted  wine,  the  mother 

4  of  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  They  have  no  wine.     Jesus 
saith  unto  her.  Woman,  what  have  I  to  do  with  thee  ? 

5  mine  hour  is  not  yet  come.     His  mother  saith  unto 
the  servants,  Whatsoever  he  saith  unto  you,  do  it. 

6  And  there  were  set  there  six  waterpots  of  stone,  after 
the  manner  of  the  purifying  of  the  Jews,  containing 

7  two  or  three  firkins  apiece.     Jesus  saith  unto  them, 
Fill  the  waterpots  with  water.     And  they  filled  them 

4 


50   Westminster  New  Testament 

8  up  to  the  brim.  And  he  saith  unto  them,  Draw  out 
now,  and  bear  unto  the  governor  of  the  feast.     And 

9  they  bare  it.  When  the  ruler  of  the  feast  had 
tasted  the  water  that  was  made  wine,  and  knew 
not  whence  it  was  :  (but  the  servants  which  drew 
the  water  knew  ;)  the  governor  of  the  feast  called 

10  the  bridegroom,  and  saith  unto  him,  Every  man  at 
the  beginning  doth  set  forth  good  wine  ;  and  when 
men  have  well  drunk,   then   that  which  is  worse  : 

11  but  thou  hast  kept  the  good  wine  until  now.  This 
beginning  of  miracles  did  Jesus  in  Cana  of  Galilee, 
and  manifested  forth  his  glory  ;  and  his  disciples 
believed  on  him. 

Having  shown  in  the  foregoing  section  how 
Jesus  had  power  over  human  hearts  in  their  vary- 
ing types,  John  proceeds  to  show  how  Jesus 
possessed  power  over  Nature  and  her  forces  too — 
thus  providing  another  link  for  the  cumulative 
proof  of  Christ's  divineness  which  he  is  engaged 
in  building  up.  This  Christ  was  King  over  the 
material  world,  just  as  truly  as  He  was  King  over 
the  minds  of  men.  Yet,  on  the  other  hand,  tlie 
reticence  of  Jesus  is  also  to  be  remarked  ;  and  the 
narrative  shows  that  reluctance,  which  was  shown 
with  equal  clearness  on  other  occasions,  to  make 
a  display  of  miraculous  power  for  the  mere  sake 
of  proving  that  it  existed  (v.  4).  It  is  to  be 
noted,  also,  that  the  miracle  was  wn-ought  for  the 
especial  impression  of  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus, 
first  of  all.  This  first  miracle  was  hardly  a  public 
one.  There  is  no  sign  that  the  company  as  a 
whole  knew  either  of  the  sudden  need  or  of  the 
way  in  which  it  was  met.  Of  course  the  ruler  of 
the  feast  was  aware,  and  the  servants  who  filled 
and    emptied   the   waterpots,   and  afterwards  the 


St.  John  51 


thing  would  be  known.     But  at  the  moment  the 
lesson  was  for  Mary  above 'all  others. 

1.  the  third  day.  That  is,  the  next  day  but 
one  after  the  events  narrated  in  1.  43-51.  The 
intervening  time  would  be  occupied  in  travelling 
from  the  Jordan  valley. 

Cana  of  Galilee.  Josephus  says  that  it  M^as  so 
called  to  distinguish  it  from  Kana  of  Asher 
(Josh.  19.  28).  This,  however,  is  an  error,  as 
this  Kana  would  also  be  in  Galilee,  according  to 
New  Testament  geography.  There  must  have 
been  another  Cana  in  Judaea.  The  Cana  here 
mentioned  was  probably  Kefr  Kenna,  between 
five  and  six  miles  north  of  Nazareth,  although  some 
hold  that  Kana  el  Jelil,  also  six  miles  from  Nazareth, 
is  a  more  likely  identification.  Nathanael  belonged 
to  Cana  (21.  2). 

2.  It  is  conjectured  that  Jesus  and  His  disciples 
had  not  been  originally  expected,  but,  being  in 
Cana,  were  invited  because  the  mother  of  Jesus 
was  there.  The  presence  of  unexpected  guests 
perhaps  accounts  for  the  foilure  of  the  supplies. 
An  old  tradition  makes  the  wedding  to  have  been 
that  of  John  himself,  though  there  is  nothing  that 
can  be  called  evidence. 

3.  Mary  saw  in  the  sudden  lack  of  wine  an 
opportunity  for  the  revelation  of  her  Son's  power. 
No  doubt  she  had  long  been  waiting  for  that 
revelation,  and  wondering  why  it  tarried.  Here 
was  the  open  door — hence  her  appeal  to  Jesus. 

4.  W^Oman,  etc.  This  mode  of  address  did 
not  imply  anything  of  disrespect,  such  as  would  be 
implied  by  the  use  of  it  from  son  to  mother  now. 
It  was  a  quite  customary  fashion  of  speech. 

what  have  I  to  do  with  thee?     Perhaps 


52    Westminster  New  Testament 

"  What  is  it  to  me  and  what  to  thee  ? "  gives  a 
better  impression  of  the  meaning.  This  power  to 
which  Mary  was  appeaUng  was  a  different  thing  to 
Christ  Himself  from  what  it  was  to  her.  At  the 
moment,  it  was  in  her  eyes  something  to  be 
employed  for  the  greatening  of  her  Son  in  the 
eyes  of  the  assembled  guests  :  to  Christ  it  could  be 
put  to  no  such  use. 

mine  hour  is  not  yet  come.  Mary's  spirit  of 
curiosity  to  see  what  Christ  could  do  really  post- 
poned the  "  hour/'  instead  of  hastening  it. 

.5.  Mary  understands  and  accepts  the  reproof, 
and  simply  leaves  the  matter  in  Christ's  hands. 
The  servants,  and  she  herself,  had  only  to  submit. 

6.  purifying  of  the  Jews.  Ceremonial  abhi- 
tions  occupied  a  large  place  in  Jewish  life.  The 
system  was  based  upon  Mosaic  ordinance,  but 
tradition  had  made  it  one  of  the  burdens  "  grievous 
to  be  borne"  (see  Mark  7.  1-5). 

two  or  three  firkins.  A  firkin  was  equal  to 
about  nine  gallons,  so  that  the  total  quantity  of 
wine  drawn  out  of  the  six  full  waterpots  would  be 
about  120  gallons. 

7.  Jesus  now  addresses  Himself  to  the  difficulty 
that  has  arisen.  The  changed  spirit  of  Mary,  as 
evidenced  in  her  words  to  the  servants,  enables 
Him  to  act.     The  "hour"  is  now  come. 

8.  the  governor  of  the  feast.     Sometimes 

one  of  the  company  acted  in  this  capacity,  and 
sometimes  a  hired  official  was  procured. 

11.  miracles.  Really  "signs."  The  distinction 
is  important.  For  the  word  "sign"  implies  that 
the  thing  seen  is  the  natural  outcome  of  that 
which  is  unseen.  The  deed  Jesus  performed, 
therefore,   was    natural,    normal,    to    the    divine 


St.  John  53 

nature  He  possessed.  So  He  manifested  forth 
his  glory  —  gave  outward  embodiment  to  what 
was  always  within. 

his  disciples  believed  on  him.  They  had 
believed  already,  but  their  faith  was  deepened  and 
confirmed. 


John  2.  12-22. 

THE  CLEANSING  OF  THE  TEMPLE. 

12  After  this  he  went  down  to  Capernaum,  he,  and  his 
mother,    and   his   brethren,    and   his   disciples  :    and 

13  they  continued  there  not  many  days.  And  the 
Jews'  passover  was  at  hand,  and  Jesus  went  up  to 

14  Jerusalem ;  and  found  in  the  temple  those  that 
sold  oxen  and  sheep  and  doves,  and  the  changers 

1 5  of  money  sitting  :  and  when  he  had  made  a  scourge 
of  small  cords,  he  drove  them  all  out  of  the  temple, 
and  the  sheep,  and  the  oxen  ;  and  poured  out  the 

16  changers'  money,  and  overthrew  the  tables ;  and 
said  unto  them  that  sold  doves.  Take  these  things 
hence  ;   make  not   my  Father's  house  an  house  of 

17  merchandise.  And  his  disciples  remembered  that 
it  was  written.   The  zeal   of    thine  house  hath   eaten 

18  me  up.  Then  answered  the  Jews  and  said  unto 
him,  What  sign  shewest  thou  unto  us,  seeing  that 

19  thou  doest  these  things  ?  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  them.  Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three  days 

20  I  will  raise  it  up.  Then  said  the  Jews,  Forty  and 
six  years  was  this  temple  in  building,  and  wilt  thou 

21  rear   it   up   in    three  days  ?     But   he   spake   of   the 

22  temple  of  his  body.  When  therefore  he  was  risen 
from  the  dead,  his  disciples  remembered  that  he 
had  said  this  unto  them  ;  and  they  believed  the 
scripture,  and  the  word  which  Jesus  had  said. 


54    Westminster  New  Testament 

In  His  cleansing  of  the  Temple^  Jesus  makes  a 
clear  and  unmistakable  assertion  of  His  authority. 
He  speaks  and  acts  as  one  who  has  not  only  the 
right  of  interference  which  any  good  man  might 
claim,  but  a  right  altogether  unique.  This  Temple 
is  "  My  Father's  house."  It  is  through  this  con- 
sideration that  we  link  up  the  incident  here  re- 
corded with  John's  main  purpose  in  writing  his 
Gospel — the  purpose  of  manifesting  the  divineness 
of  Christ.  At  the  very  commencement  of  His 
ministry,  Jesus  declares  that  His  judgment  con- 
cerning the  Right  of  things  is  supreme.  The 
ecclesiastical  authorities  had  winked  at  this  pollu- 
tion of  the  sacred  precincts — for  Jesus  this  did  not 
count.  Without  any  regard  for  consequences,  He 
launched  Himself  upon  the  one  true  course.  He 
claimed  a  title — delegated,  so  to  say,  by  God 
Himself,  whose  house  this  was  —  to  set  things 
right.  And  the  implication  is  this  —  the  claim 
thus  made  at  the  outset  of  the  ministry  was  amply 
justified  by  the  subsequent  life.  No  one  could 
afterwards  say,  "  You  who  cleansed  the  Temple, 
why  are  you  heedless  of  the  fault  in  yourself? " 

The  Synoptics  record  a  similar  cleansing  of  the 
Temple  at  the  end  of  the  ministry,  but  omit  any 
mention  of  a  cleansing  at  the  beginning.  There 
is  no  real  difficulty  in  supi)Osing  that  the  incident 
happened  twice.  We  have  just  indicated  how  the 
selection,  for  the  Fourth  Gospel,  of  the  first 
cleansing  harmonises  with  John's  plan. 

12.  Capernaum.  Capernaum  was  in  itself  an 
important  place,  and  Jesus  was  closely  associated 
with  it  at  different  times  in  His  earthly  ministry. 
It  was  one  of  the  places  on  which  He  denounced 
woes   because,  with   all   the  "mighty   works"    it 


St.  John 


:)D 


had  seen,  it  had  not  repented  (Matt.  11.  23). 
The  site  is  disputed,  the  choice  lying  between 
Tell  Hum  at  the  north-west  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee, 
and  Khan  Minyeh  three  miles  farther  south.  The 
former  is  the  more  probable.  The  expression 
"  went  down "  refers  to  the  fact  that  the  lake- 
shore  is  about  700  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
sea. 

his  brethren.  For  their  names  see  Matt. 
13.  55.  Although  companions  of  Jesus  at  this 
time,  they  were  not  of  those  who  believed  on  Him 
(7.  5). 

13.  pasSOver.  Held  every  year  at  the  time  of 
the  spring  equinox.  It  was  the  first  of  the 
three  great  annual  festivals  (see  Ex.  12).  The 
mention  of  the  Passover  here,  combined  with  the 
Evangelist's  mention  of  other  Passovers,  is  one  of 
the  helps  towards  fixing  the  duration  of  Christ's 
ministry. 

14.  The  animals  were  of  course  sold  for  sacrificial 
purposes.  The  "changers  of  money"  gave  Jewish 
coin  in  exchange  for  Roman,  the  former  being 
necessary  for  payment  of  the  Temple  dues.  The 
trading  itself  was  a  profanation  of  the  place  ;  but 
the  worst  feature  of  the  whole  thing  was  the 
atmosphere  of  covetousness  with  which  the  courts 
were  filled. 

15.  l6.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable,  at  first 
sight,  that  there  does  not  seem  to  have  been  any 
resistance.  But  the  traders  could  hope  for  no 
sympathy  from  the  mass  of  the  people,  whom  they 
had  constantly  victimised. 

17.  See  Ps.  69.  9- 

18.  The  demand  for  a  sign  was  the  one  cry 
which  the   Jews  were   always    raising.     It  is  sig- 


56   Westminster  New  Testament 

nificant  here^  as  elsewhere,  as  showing  that  they 
possessed  no  moral  impressionableness.  In  reality, 
the  act  justified  itself  in  the  eyes  of  anyone  who 
had  any  sense  of  right,  and  no  further  sign  should 
have  been  needed. 

19.  The  reply  of  Jesus  was  of  course  not  under- 
stood, and,  we  may  say,  was  not  meant  to  be.  It 
was  remembered,  however,  and  was  brought  in 
evidence  against  Jesus  at  His  trial. 

20.  Forty  and  six  years,  etc.  See  Introduc- 
tion, p.  17. 

21.  It  is  sometimes  held  that  the  Evangelist 
wrongly  interprets  Christ's  utterance,  and  that 
what  Jesus  really  referred  to  was  not  ^^  the  temple 
of  his  body,"  but  the  Christian  Church,  which  was 
to  rise  on  the  ruin  of  the  Jewish  dispensation. 
We  may  take  it,  however,  that  John  is  most  likely 
to  have  known  his  Master's  mind ;  and,  moreover, 
the  "three  days"  points  to  the  facts  of  the  Resur- 
rection very  clearly. 

22.  When  therefore  he  was  risen.  The 
saying  remained  a  riddle  to  the  disciples  through 
the  lifetime  of  Jesus,  and  it  was  not  until  after 
the  Resurrection  that  they  understood.  One  can 
understand  that  at  this  early  stage  of  Christ's 
ministry  they  should  not  comprehend  ;  but  there 
were  many  sayings  in  the  course  of  Christ's  life, 
and  many  prophecies,  which  ought  to  have  cleared 
their  minds. 

the  scripture.  The  Old  Testament  prophecies 
which  pointed  to  resurrection  (Ps.  I6.  10; 
Hos.  6.  2,  etc.).  The  disciples,  putting  together 
these  passages,  the  facts  of  Christ's  Resurrection, 
and  "  the  word  which  Jesus  had  said,"  found  their 
faith  cleared  and  confirmed. 


St.  John  57 

John  2.  23-3.  21. 

JESUS  AND  NICODEMUS:  THE  NEW  BIRTH. 

2^  Now  when  he  was  in  Jerusalem  at  the  passover,  in 
the   feast   day,    many  believed   in   his   name,   when 

24  they  saw  the  miracles  which  he  did.  But  Jesus  did 
not  commit  himself  unto  them,  because  he  knew  all 

25  men,  and  needed  not  that  any  should  testify  of  man  : 

1  for  he  knew  what  was  in  man.  There  was  a  man  of 
the   Pharisees,    named   Nicodemus,    a   ruler   of   the 

2  Jews  :  the  same  came  to  Jesus  by  night,  and  said 
unto  him.  Rabbi,  we  know  that  thou  art  a  teacher 
come  from  God  :  for  no  man  can  do  these  miracles 

3  that  thou  doest,  except  God  be  with  him.  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  thee.  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot 

4  see  the  kingdom  of  God.  Nicodemus  saith  unto 
him.  How  can  a  man  be  born  when  he  is  old  ?  can 
he  enter  the  second  time  into  his  mother's  womb, 

5  and  be  born  ?  Jesus  answered.  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  thee.  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of 
the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

6  That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh  ;  and  that 

7  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit.     Marvel  not 

8  that  I  said  unto  thee.  Ye  must  be  born  again.  The 
wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the 
sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh, 
and  whither  it  goeth  :  so  is  every  one  that  is  born 

9  of  the  Spirit.     Nicodemus  answered  and  said  unto 

10  him.  How  can  these  things  be  ?  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  a  master  of  Irsael,  and 

1 1  knowest  not  these  things  ?  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  thee.  We  speak  that  we  do  know,  and  testify 
that  we  have  seen  ;  and  ye  receive  not  our  witness. 

12  If  I  have  told  you  earthly  things,  and  ye  bcUeve  not. 


58    Westminster  New  Testament 

how  shall  ye  believe,  if  I  tell  you  of  heavenly  things  ? 

13  And  no  man  hath  ascended  up  to  heaven,  but  he 
that  came  down  from  heaven,  even  the  Son  of  man 

14  which  is  in  heaven.  And  as  Moses  lifted  up  the 
serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so  must  the  Son  of 

1 5  man  be  lifted  up  :    that  whosoever  believeth  in  him 

16  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life.  For  God 
so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten 
Son,    that  whosoever  believeth  in  him   should  not 

17  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.  For  God  sent  not 
his  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world  ;  but 

1 8  that  the  world  through  him  might  be  saved.  He 
that  believeth  on  him  is  not  condemned  :  but  he 
that  believeth  not  is  condemned  already,  because 
he  hath  not  believed  in  the  name  of  the  only  be- 

19  gotten  Son  of  God.  And  this  is  the  condemnation, 
that  light  is  come  into  the  world,  and  men  loved 
darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their  deeds  were 

2Q  evil.  For  every  one  that  doeth  evil  hateth  the 
light,   neither   cometh   to   the  hght,   lest   his   deeds 

21  should  be  reproved.  But  he  that  doeth  truth 
cometh  to  the  light,  that  his  deeds  may  be  made 
manifest,  that  they  are  wrought  in  God. 

The  last  three  verses  of  chapter  2  are  to  be 
taken  in  connection  with  chapter  3.  The  break 
between  the  chapters^  as  arranged  in  our  Bibles, 
is  misleading.  Having  stated  in  2.  24,  25  that 
Jesus  "knew  all  men,"  the  Evangelist  goes  on 
in  chapter  3  to  give  an  illustration  of  Christ's 
knowledge  of  the  human  heart  in  dealing  with 
Nicodemus. 

In  His  conversation  with  Nicodemus,  Jesus 
shows  the  same  decisiveness  which  He  had 
shown  at  the  cleansing  of  the  Temple.  He  speaks 
autlioritatively  now,  as  He  had  acted  authoritatively 


St.  John  59 

then.  Herein  is  shown  another  point  of  difference 
between  Christ  and  the  great  reformers  of  the 
earth.  He  needed  not  to  feel  His  way.  He 
spoke  out  from  the  beginning,  declaring  the  one 
necessary  thing  (v.  3).  Thus  John  presents  a 
further  piece  of  evidence  in  support  of  his  principal 
theme. 

In  this  section  we  come  upon  the  first  instances 
of  the  deep  teaching  whereof  this  Gospel  is  full. 
The  ideas  of  the  new  birth,  of  being  born  from 
above,  of  believing,  are  the  same  ideas  as  those 
that  Jesus  afterwards  insisted  on  in  many  a  con- 
versation with  the  hostile  Jews.  When,  for 
instance.  He  spoke  of  being  Himself  the  Bread  of 
Life  whereof  man  must  partake,  etc..  He  was 
really  reproducing  the  conception  (that  man  must 
connect  himself  with  a  heavenly  source  of  life) 
which  He  here  presents. 

Some  critics  think  that  the  passage  beginning 
at  3.  14  is  not  part  of  Christ's  utterance  to 
Nicodemus,  but  contains  reflections  of  the  Evangel- 
ist himself;  and  some,  admitting  vv.  14<  and  15  as 
part  of  the  conversation,  hold  that  the  Evangelist's 
own  remarks  begin  with  v.  l6.  It  seems  much 
more  probable,  however,  that  Jesus,  having 
mentioned  ^'^ heavenly  things"  in  v.  12,  went  on 
to  speak  of  some  of  the  truths  conjured  up  in 
His  mind  by  the  phrase — vv.  14-21  thus  forming 
a  sort  of  soliloquy  spoken  in  Nicodemus'  presence, 
though  not  precisely  addressed  to  Nicodemus 
himself. 

23.  the  miracles  which  he  did.  No  details 
of  these  miracles  are  given.  They  form  part  of 
the  unwritten  history  referred  to  in  21.  25. 

24.  did  not  commit  himself.    The  original 


6o    Westminster  New  Testament 

word  is  the  same  as  that  translated  "  believed  "  in 
V.  23.  They  believed  Jesus^  but  inasmuch  as 
their  belief  was  based  simply  upon  their  sight  of 
miracles^  Jesus  could  not  rely  upon  it.  He  could 
not  trust  their  trust, 

25.  he  knew,  etc.  As  He  had  done  in  the 
case  of  Nathanael  (1.  47). 

1.  a  ruler  of  the  Jews.  A  member  of  the 
Sanhedrin. 

2.  thou  art  a  teacher  come  from  God.  A 
non-committal  utterance.  This  much  might  have 
been  said  of  many.  Nicodemus  wants  to  see  what 
Christ  will  say,  and  begins  the  talk  by  throwing 
out  this  tentative  remark. 

3.  Jesus  at  once  brings  things  to  the  decisive 
point.  It  would  be  an  astonishment  to  Nicodemus 
to  find  this  teacher — his  own  junior — taking  this 
tone.  He  had  come  to  examine  Jesus  :  he  is  at 
once  driven  to  examine  himself. 

born  again.  The  idea  of  a  new  birth  was  in  a 
manner  familiar  to  the  Jews  ;  for  they  used  to  say 
of  a  proselyte  from  heathenism  that  he  was  a  new- 
born child.  Of  course  Jesus  gave  a  much  deeper 
meaning  to  the  phrase,  but  it  should  have  found  a 
point  of  sympathetic  contact  in  Nicodemus'  mind. 
The  teaching  is  that  the  true  life  consists,  not  in 
a  mere  improvement  of  what  already  is — not 
in  an  enlargement  of  ideals  or  an  intensification 
of  morality — but  in  an  absolutely  new  beginning, 
an  attachment  of  the  nature  to  a  heavenly 
source. 

4.  Nicodemus,  in  his  hesitancy,  fences  with  the 
idea.  Since  the  conception  was  not  quite  strange, 
the  assumption  of  misunderstanding  in  this  verse 
cannot  have  been  quite  sincere.     He  may  not  have 


St.  John  6i 

understood  all  that  Jesus  meant,  but  he  knew 
better  than  this  remark  implies. 

5.  Jesus  repeats  His  assertion  in  slightly 
different  form,  of  water  refers  to  the  need  of  re- 
pentance, as  proclaimed  in  the  baptism  of  John, 
the  need  of  a  real  separation  from  the  past  before  the 
true  life  can  be  begun,  of  the  Spirit  refers  to  the 
positive  side — to  the  need  for  a  real  attachment  of 
the  nature  to  a  spiritual  source.  That  this  positive 
ministry  would  be  the  special  ministry  of  Christ, 
the  Baptist  himself  had  foretold  (l.  33,  34; 
Luke  3.  16). 

6f  7.  Jesus  insists  on  the  essential  reasonable- 
ness of  what  He  has  said.  How  can  anything 
spiritual  be  born  except  from  a  spiritual  source  ? 

8.  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  etc. 
The  point  of  the  verse  is  again  to  emphasise  the 
reasonableness  of  the  demand  that  has  been  made. 
Just  as  you  cannot  put  your  finger  upon  the 
starting-point  of  the  wind,  so  there  is  nothing  in 
this  world  to  which  you  can  point  as  being  an 
adequate  source  of  a  spiritual  life.  The  significant 
thing  is  not,  as  is  frequently  supposed,  that  the 
Spirit  is  of  unknown  origin,  but  that  everT/  one 
born  of  the  Spirit  is  of  an  origin  unknown  in  this 
world.  "  So  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit." 
Everything  spiritual  must  be  from  above. 

9.  The  persistent  failure  of  Nicodemus  to  under- 
stand shows  how  far  religion  had  degenerated 
among  the  teachers  of  the  people. 

10.  Art  thou  a  master?  etc.  Better,  as  in 
R.V.,  "Art  thou  the  teacher.^" — with  emphasis  on 
the.  Nicodemus  was  taken  as  the  special  repre- 
sentative of  his  class.  The  remark  of  Jesus  is  in 
the  nature  of  reproof  and  gentle  sarcasm. 


62    Westminster  New  Testament 

11.  In  this  verse  the  inner  consciousness  of 
Jesus  speaks.  All  this  that  He  has  been  declaring 
He  knows,  so  to  say,  at  first  hand — knows  through 
His  intimate  relation  with  God.  Yet  to  this  man, 
who  should  have  recognised  it  as  true,  it  is  all  so 
strange ! 

12.  And  this  brings  home  to  Jesus  how  the 
further  proclamations  of  His  gospel  will  also  be 
misunderstood  and  rejected,  earthly  things.  The 
necessity  for  a  new  birth  was  so  patent  a  thing 
that  it  might  be  called  an  ^''earthly  thing."  If 
this  was  doubted,  what  use  to  tell  deeper  truths  } 

13.  Yet  Jesus,  forced  on,  as  it  were,  by  some 
inner  impulse,  proceeds  to  speak  of  the  "heavenly 
things "  after  all.  And  the  first  truth  is  this — 
that  no  man  has  found  the  true  way  to  the 
spiritual  source  v/hereto  life  must  be  attached,  but 
that  in  Himself  the  spiritual  life  has  come  down. 
It  is  from  heaven  man  must  be  born,  yet  man 
cannot  reach  to  heaven.  But  in  Him,  the  Christ, 
heaven  has  come  down  to  man. 

14.  15.  See  above.  Here  Jesus  has  a  wistful 
forward  look.  The  thought  of  Himself  as  the 
means  whereby  the  new  life  was  brought  to  men 
(v.  13)  leads  Him  on  to  think  of  the  cost  at 
which  the  mission  was  to  be  discharged,  believeth 
and  eternal  life  are  among  the  characteristic  words 
of  this  Gospel. 

16.  For  God  so  loved,  etc.  As  though  Jesus 
Avould  say,  "  Does  this  demand  for  a  new  birth 
sound  stern?  It  is  out  of  Love  that  it  has  come, 
and  Love  has  provided  a  way  whereby  it  may  be 
fulfilled."  Note,  too,  the  universality  of  the  scope 
of  the  salvation — "the  world"  (compare  1.  2.9). 

17.  to    condemn.       Better,   as    in    R.V.,    "to 


St.  John  63 

judge."  The  Messiah's  coming,  according  to  the 
Jews,  was  for  the  purpose  of  sitting  in  judgment 
upon  the  Gentile  nations.  Jesus  lias  a  more 
beneficent  purpose  than  this. 

IS.  Yet  there  must  be  a  judgment.  He  who 
does  not  receive  the  Christ  is  ^'judged  already" — 
has  declared  what  manner  of  man  he  is.  It  is 
impossible  for  Jesus  to  come  and  make  His  ojffer  of 
good  without  forcing  some  to  condemn  themselves. 

19.  A  repetition  of  the  idea.  Perhaps  there 
may  be  a  reference  to  the  ffict  that  Nicodemus 
came  to  Jesus  by  night,  and  a  desire  to  lead  him 
to  self-searching.  What  was  the  real  reason  for 
his  choice  of  the  darkness  ?  Was  it,  perchance, 
because  "  deeds  wxre  evil "  } 

20,  21.  A  plain  statement,  probably  for  the 
further  warning  of  Nicodemus,  that  in  the  last  re- 
sort a  rejection  of  Jesus  could  only  come,  not  from 
mere  indifference,  but  from  sin,  and  from  the  love 
of  it.  This  is  the  claim  which  Jesus  made  on  many 
occasions — that  anyone  with  a  real  love  for  good- 
ness would  admit  His  moral  and  spiritual  supremacy. 


John  3.  22-36. 
THE  BAPTIST'S  THIRD  TESTIMONY. 

22  After  these  things  came  Jesus  and  his  disciples  into 
the  land  of  Judea ;  and  there  he  tarried  with  them, 

23  and  baptized.    And  John  also  was  baptizing  in  lEnon 
near  to  Salim,  because  there  was  much  water  there  : 

24  and  they  came,  and  were  baptized.     For  John  was 

25  not  yet  cast  into  prison.     Then  there  arose  a  ques- 
tion between  some  of  John's  disciples  and  the  Jews 

26  about  purifying.     And  they  came  unto  John,  and  said 


64    Westminster  New  Testament 

unto  him,    Rabbi,    he   that   was  with   thee   beyond 
Jordan,   to  whom  thou  barest  witness,  behold,   the 

27  same  baptizeth,  and  all  men  come  to  him.  John 
answered    and    said,    A    man    can    receive    nothing, 

28  except  it  be  given  him  from  heaven.  Ye  yourselves 
bear  me  witness,  that  I  said,  I  am  not  the  Christ, 

29  but  that  I  am  sent  before  him.  He  that  hath  the 
bride  is  the  bridegroom  :  but  the  friend  of  the  bride- 
groom, which  standeth  and  heareth  him,  rejoiceth 
greatly  because  of  the  bridegroom's  voice  :  this  my 

30  joy  therefore  is  fulfilled.     He  must  increase,  but  I 

31  must  decrease.  He  that  cometh  from  above  is 
above  all  :  he  that  is  of  the  earth  is  earthly,  and 
speaketh  of  the  earth  :  he  that  cometh  from  heaven 

32  is  above  all.  And  what  he  hath  seen  and  heard, 
that  he  testifieth  ;  and  no  man  receiveth  his  testi- 

33  mony.     He  that  hath  received  his  testimony  hath 

34  set  to  his  seal  that  God  is  true.  For  he  whom 
God  hath  sent  speaketh  the  words  of  God  :  for  God 

35  giveth  not  the  Spirit  by  measure  unto  him.  The 
Father  loveth   the  Son,   and  hath  given  all  things 

36  into  his  hand.  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath 
everlasting  life  :  and  he  that  believeth  not  the  Son 
shall  not  see  life  ;  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth 
on  him. 

In  this  paragraph  the  Evangelist  temporarily 
shifts  the  emphasis  back  from  Jesus  to  the  fore- 
runner. It  may  be  conjectured  that  one  reason 
for  his  doing  so  was  to  correct  a  misunderstanding 
which^  at  the  time  of  Mriting,  had  become  pre- 
valent, as  to  the  time  of  the  Baptist's  imprisonment. 
V.  24  seems  to  indicate  that  this  imprisonment  had 
been  supposed  to  have  taken  place  immediately 
after  Christ's  Baptism  and  Temptation.  The 
EvangeUst  therefore  records  a  period  of  Christ's 


St.  John  65 

ministry  (to  close  of  chapter  4)  of  which  the 
others  had  not  told.  It  was  after  the  conclusion 
of  this  section  of  the  ministry  that  the  Baptist  was 
put  into  prison.  There  was  probaWy,  however^ 
another  reason  for  turning  back  to  the  Baptist. 
The  Apostle  wished  to  show  how  the  earlier 
testimonies  of  the  Baptist  were  adhered  to^  and 
repeated,  when  the  Baptist  might  perhaps  have 
been  expected  to  speak  in  another  tone.  He 
himself  was  losing  ground  compared  with  the  new 
Teacher — yet  so  profound  is  his  conviction  of  that 
Teacher's  divine  commission,  that  he  rejoices  rather 
than  grieves,  thus  affording  fresh  proof  of  the  holy 
majesty  that  dwelt  in  Christ. 

It  is  necessary,  in  vv.  31-36,  to  distinguish 
between  the  words  which  are  the  Baptist's  own 
and  those  which  the  Evangelist  has  added ;  or 
rather,  it  is  necessary  to  recognise  that  the  two 
are  intertwined.  Some  of  the  phrases,  such  as 
tliose  contained  in  v.  36,  are  eminently  character- 
istic of  the  Evangelist's  own  style.  This  must  not, 
however,  be  pressed  too  far ;  and  doubtless  the 
Baptist  uttered  in  his  own  speech  the  equivalents 
of  the  ideas  which  the  Apostle  sets  down  in 
his. 

22.  Finding  that  the  faith  with  which  He  was 
greeted  at  Jerusalem  was  not  of  the  right  order 
(2.  23-25),  Jesus  leaves  the  city. 

23.  There  is  an  Ainun,  east  of  Shechem,  which 
is  usually  taken  to  be  the  place  referred  to.  This 
Ainun  is  near  to  Salim,  as  was  the  one  spoken  of. 

24.  See  above. 

25.  the  Jews.  Properly,  "with  a  Jew,"  as  in 
R.V.  Some  Jew  had  inquired  as  to  the  relation 
between  the  work  of  the  Baptist  and  the  work  of 

5 


66    Westminster  New  Testament 

Jesus ;  and  the  question  awoke  the  Baptist's 
disciples  to  realise  how  their  master  was  being 
supplanted  by  the  One  for  whom  he  had  prepared 
the  way. 

26.  to  whom  thou  barest  witness.    Note 

the  tone  of  disappointment  and  querulousness. 
"  You  bare  witness  of  this  Teacher,  and  this  is  how 
He  requites  you  !  " 

27.  "  If  you  have  nothing  more  against  Him 
than  that  He  is  benefiting  the  multitudes,  that  is 
in  itself  a  sign  of  His  heavenly  commission." 

28-30.  the  friend  of  the  bridegroom.  That 
is,  he  who  arranges  the  marriage-contract.  His 
joy  is  entirely  in  the  bridegroom's  joy.  So  the 
Baptist  had,  as  it  were,  prepared  for  the  marriage 
between  the  Messiah  and  His  people — what  greater 
joy  could  he  have  than  to  see  the  Bridegroom 
coming  into  His  own  ? 

31.  So  profound  is  the  Baptist's  humility,  that 
he  speaks  of  his  own  ministry,  in  contrast  with 
that  of  Jesus,  as  being  ^^  earthly." 

32.  And  what  he  hath  seen  and  heard,  etc. 
The  Baptist,  if  the  words  be  his,  refers  to  the 
closeness  of  contact  with  God  out  of  which  he 
knows  Jesus  came.  They  are  in  a  manner  a 
repetition  of  I.  18 — which  verse,  being  the  Evangel- 
ist's, nevertheless  is  also  connected  with  the 
Baptist's  testimony  given  in  1.  15.  The  coinci- 
dence makes  it  probable  that,  even  if  3.  32  be 
verbally  the  Evangelist's,  the  Baptist  expressed  the 
same  idea. 

and  no  man  receiveth  his  testimony.  This 
must  be  the  Evangelist's  dictum,  as  it  does  not 
harmonise  with  the  statement  (v.  26)  that  "all 
men  come  to  him."     The  Apostle  looks  back  from 


St.  John  67 

a  later  time,  and  sees  how  little  the  rush  of  the 
multitudes  to  Jesus  really  meant. 

33.  This,  also,  being  consequent  upon  v.  32, 
must  be  the  Evangelist's  own.  He  who  has  really 
received  the  witness  of  Jesus  has  always  proved 
(the  Apostle,  when  he  writes,  has  a  long  enough 
Christian  history  behind  him  to  assert  it)  that 
divineness  is  in  Him. 

34.  This  is  the  Baptist's  testimony,  resumed 
from  V.  31  or  v.  32. 

by  measure.     That  is,  in  limited  measure. 

35j  36.  Probably  the  Baptist's  ideas  expressed 
in  the  Apostle's  words.  The  thought  makes  a 
worthy  close  to  the  Baptist's  testimony  to  Jesus — 
and,  moreover,  brings  the  testimony  of  the  Baptist 
up  to  the  level  of  Christ's  own  words  concerning 
Himself.     Compare  vv.  16,  18. 


John  4.  1-42. 

JESUS  IN  SAMARIA. 

When  therefore  the  Lord  knew  how  the  Pharisees 
had    heard    that    Jesus    made    and    baptized    more 

2  disciples  than  John,  (though  Jesus  himself  baptized 

3  not,  but  his  disciples,)  he  left  Judaea,  and  departed 

4  again  into  Galilee.     And  he  must  needs  go  through 

5  Samaria.  Then  cometh  he  to  a  city  of  Samaria, 
which  is  called  Sychar,  near  to  the  parcel  of  ground 

6  that  Jacob  gave  to  his  son  Joseph.  Now  Jacob's 
well  was  there.  Jesus  therefore,  being  wearied  with 
his  journey,  sat  thus  on  the  well ;  and  it  was  about 

7  the  sixth  hour.  There  cometh  a  woman  of  Samaria 
to  draw  water  :   Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Give  me  to 


68    Westminster  New  Testament 

8  drink.     (For  his  disciples  were  gone  away  unto  the 

9  city  to  buy  meat.)  Then  saith  the  woman  of 
Samaria  unto  him.  How  is  it  that  thou,  being  a  Jew, 
askest  drink  of  me,  which  am  a  woman  of  Samaria  ? 
for  the  Jews  have  no  deahngs  with  the  Samaritans. 

10  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  If  thou  knewest 
the  gift  of  God,  and  who  it  is  that  saith  to  thee, 
Give  me  to  drink  ;  thou  wouldest  have  asked  of  him, 

1 1  and  he  would  have  given  thee  Uving  water.  The 
woman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  thou  hast  nothing  to 
draw  with,  and  the  well  is  deep  :  from  whence  then 

12  hast  thou  that  living  water  ?  Art  thou  greater 
than  our  father  Jacob,  which  gave  us  the  well,  and 
drank    thereof   himself,    and    his    children,    and    his 

13  cattle  ?     Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  Whoso- 

14  ever  drinketh  of  this  water  shall  thirst  again  :  but 
whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  never  thirst  ;  but  the  water  that  I  shall 
give  him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water  springing 

15  up  into  everlasting  life.  The  woman  saith  unto 
him.  Sir,  give  me  this  water,  that  I  thirst  not,  neither 

16  come   hither   to   draw.     Jesus   saith   unto  her.    Go, 

17  call  thy  husband,  and  come  hither.  The  woman 
answered  and  said,  I  have  no  husband.  Jesus  said 
unto  her.  Thou  hast  well  said,  I  have  no  husband  : 

18  for  thou  hast  had  five  husbands  ;  and  he  whom 
thou  now  hast  is  not  thy  husband  :  in  that  saidst 

19  thou    truly.     The    woman    saith    unto    him.    Sir,    I 

20  perceive  that  thou  art  a  prophet.  Our  fathers 
worshipped  in  this  mountain  ;  and  ye  say,  that  in 
Jerusalemx  is  the  place  where  men  ought  to  worship. 

21  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour 
cometh,  when  ye  shall  neither  in  this  mountain,  nor 

22  3^et  at  Jerusalem,  worship  the  Father.  Ye  worship 
ye  know   not   what :   we   know   what   we   worship : 

23  for  salvation  is  of  the  Jews.  But  the  hour  cometh, 
and  now  is,  when  the  true  worshippers  shall  worship 


St.  John  69 

the  Father  in  spirit  and  in   truth  :   for  the  Father 

24  seeketh  such  to  worship  him,  God  is  a  Spirit  ; 
and   they   that  worship  him   must  worship  him  in 

25  spirit  and  in  truth.  The  woman  saith  unto  him, 
I  know  that  Messias  cometh,  which  is  called  Christ  : 

26  when  he  is  come,  he  will  tell  us  all  things.     Jesus 

27  saith  unto  her,  I  that  speak  unto  thee  am  he.  And 
upon  this  came  his  disciples,  and  marvelled  that  he 
talked  with  the  woman  :  yet  no  man  said,  "What 
seekest    thou  ?     or.    Why    talkest    thou    with    her  ? 

28  The  woman  then  left  her  waterpot,  and  went  her 

29  way  into  the  city,  and  saith  to  the  men.  Come,  see 
a  man,  which  told  me  all  things  that  ever  I  did  : 

30  is  not  this  the  Christ  ?     Then  they  went  out  of  the 

31  city,  and  came  unto  him.     In  the  mean  while  his 

32  disciples  prayed  him,  saying.  Master,  eat.  But  he 
said  unto  them,  I  have  meat  to  eat  that  ye  know 

33  not  of.     Therefore  said  the  disciples  one  to  another, 

34  Hath  any  man  brought  him  ought  to  eat  ?  Jesus 
saith  unto  them.  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him 

35  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work.  Say  not  ye. 
There  are  yet  four  months,  and  then  cometh  har- 
vest ?  behold,  I  say  unto  you.  Lift  up  your  eyes, 
and  look  on  the  fields  ;  for  they  are  white  already 

36  to  harvest.  And  he  that  reapeth  receiveth  wages, 
and  gathereth  fruit  unto  life  eternal  :  that  both  he 
that   soweth  and  he   that  reapeth  may  rejoice   to- 

n  gether.     And  herein  is  that  saying  true.  One  soweth^ 

38  and  another  reapeth.  I  sent  you  to  reap  that 
whereon  ye  bestowed  no  labour  :  other  men  laboured, 

39  and  ye  are  entered  into  their  labours.  And  many 
of  the  Samaritans  of  that  city  believed  on  him  for 
the  saying  of  the  woman,  which  testified,  He  told 

40  me  all  that  ever  I  did  So  when  the  Samaritans 
were  come  unto  him  they  besought  him  that  he 
would   tarry  with  them  :   and  he  abode  there  two 

41  days.     And    many    more    believed    because    of    his 


70   Westminster  New  Testament 

42  own  word  ;  and  said  unto  the  woman.  Now  we 
believe,  not  because  of  thy  saying  :  for  we  have 
heard  him  ourselves,  and  know  that  this  is  indeed 
the  Christ,  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 

It  must  be  remembered,  in  reading  the  account 
of  Christ's  dealings  with  the  Samaritan  woman, 
that  the  facts  of  her  history  by  no  means  imply 
any  extreme  depravity  in  the  woman  herself. 
Probably  she  was  a  victim  at  least  as  much  as  she 
was  a  sinner ;  and  the  "  five  husbands "  through 
whose  hands  she  had  passed  may  have  divorced 
her  for  the  most  frivolous  of  reasons  (since  this 
had  become  possible  among  the  Jews),  and  so  have 
driven  her  at  last  into  wrong.  And  Christ's  treat- 
ment of  her  supports  this  view,  inasmuch  as  He 
deals  with  her  in  all  tenderness,  and  administers 
no  severity  of  reproof.  His  whole  method  with 
her  is  directed  towards  making  her  realise  her  own 
need — realise  how  greatly,  for  the  restoration  of 
her  own  maimed  and  spoilt  life,  she  needs  the 
"living  water"  He  has  to  give.  The  narrative 
itself  presents  hardly  any  points  of  difficulty,  and 
calls  for  but  little  in  the  way  of  comment. 

1-3.  Not  wishing  to  draw  upon  Himself  pre- 
maturely the  open  hostility  of  the  Pharisees  (who 
would  resent  the  growing  influence  of  Jesus  even 
more  than  they  resented  that  of  the  Baptist),  Jesus 
quits  Judaea  for  Galilee. 

4.  Samaria.  Originally  the  name  of  a  city 
(for  origin,  see  1  Kings  I6.  23,  24).  It  came, 
however,  to  be  the  name  of  the  whole  province, 
and  is  so  used  here.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
province  were  a  race  descended  from  those  Israelites 
who  had  been  left  when  the  bulk  of  the  population 


St.  John  71 

had  been  carried  away  captive,  and  from  Uie 
strangers  who  had  been  introduced  to  fill  the 
depopulated  land  (2  Kings  17.  24  etc.).  These 
people  had  not  been  allowed  a  share  in  the  work 
of  rebuilding  the  Temple  (Ezra  4),  and  from  this 
time  onward  the  feud  had  been  kept  alive. 

5,  6.  Sychar.  Identified  with  'Askar^  which  is 
a  village  close  to  Shechem  (whose  modern  name  is 
Nablous).  Jacob's  well  is  still  in  existence^ 
although  not  so  deep  as  formerly,  and  water  is 
only  found  in  it  at  times. 

9.  See  on  v.  4,  for  one  reason  why  the  woman 
was  astonished  at  being  addressed.  Another 
reason  lay  in  the  fact  that  she  was  a  woman,  for  it 
was  against  the  teaching  of  the  Rabbis  for  a  Jew 
to  speak  to  a  woman  in  public.     See  v.  27. 

10.  This  verse  reveals  the  longing  of  Christ's 
heart  to  heal  this  wounded  soul  before  Him.  If 
thou  knewest  the  gift  of  God — if  you  under- 
stood the  greatness  of  your  opportunity !  living 
water.     Compare  7.  38. 

11.  The  woman  gives  a  half-serious  answer, 
taking  Christ's  words  literally,  although  suspecting 
that  some  hidden  meaning  lay  beneath.  The  fact 
that  she  gives  to  Jesus  the  title  of  "  Sir  "  shows  that 
she  is  at  least  impressed. 

13,  14.  Jesus  again  insists  on  raising  her  thought 
from  the  material  to  the  spiritual. 

15.  The  woman  still  lingers  upon  the  lower 
plane.  This  second  reply,  however,  marks  an  ad- 
vance upon  the  first,  inasmuch  as  it  practically 
admits  that  Jesus  had  the  power  of  satisfying  her 
which  He  claimed. 

16.  If  the  phrase  may  be  permitted,  Jesus  seizes 
upon  the  "psychological  moment"  of  the  conver- 


72    Westminster  New  Testament 

sation.  The  woman^  in  order  to  comprehend  her 
need,  must  be  made  to  comprehend  her  sin. 

17,  18.  The  woman's  reply  to  Jesus  was  of 
course  a  half-truth  only.  Jesus  at  once  shows  her 
that  she  cannot  deceive  Him.  As  He  had  known 
Nathanael  (1.  47,  48),  so  He  knew  this  woman  and 
her  secret  heart. 

19j,  20.  Forced  to  admit  that  the  stranger  was 
not  an  ordinary  man,  the  woman  makes  an  attempt 
to  turn  the  conversation  from  her  own  private 
affairs  to  the  general  subjects  of  controversy  be- 
tween Samaritans  and  Jews. 

this  mountain.  Gerizim.  It  was  held  to  have 
derived  its  sacredness  from  the  events  recorded  in 
Deut.  27.  11,  12. 

21-24.  In  His  answer,  Jesus  devotes  a  few  words 
(v.  22)  to  the  controversial  matter  which  the 
woman  has  raised.  He  vindicates  the  Jews  against 
the  Samaritans,  declaring  that  "  salvation  is  of  the 
Jews."  The  Jews,  that  is,  possessed  the  larger 
revelation  of  God,  inasmuch  as  the  Samaritans  re- 
pudiated all  the  Scriptures  except  the  Pentateuch. 
This  declaration,  however,  is  only  a  parenthesis  in 
the  enunciation  of  a  greater  idea — the  idea  that 
the  true  worship  is  not  a  matter  of  place  and 
ceremonial  at  all,  but  a  matter  of  spirit  and  of 
heart  (vv.  21,  23).  V.  24  proclaims  that  God,  being 
Himself  Spirit  and  Truth,  must  be  worshipped  in 
spirit  and  truth  —  the  principle  being  that  the 
rendering  of  acceptable  worship  demands  in  the 
worshipper  a  likeness  of  disposition  to  that  of  God. 

25.  The  Samaritans,  like  the  Jews,  had  a  Mes- 
sianic hope.  Their  titles  for  the  coming  One  were 
the  "Guide"  and  the  "Converter." 

26.  Contrast  this   open   avowal  of  Messiahship 


St.  John  73 

with  the  avoidance  of  such  an  avowal  whicli  Jesus 
practised  among  His  own  people.  In  Samaria,  no 
consequences  of  a  political  kind  were  likely  to 
follow. 

27.  with  the  woman.  Rightly,  "with  a  woman/' 
as  in  R.V.     See  on  v.  9- 

28-30.  These  verses  show  how  greatly  the  woman 
had  been  impressed  by  her  conversation  with  Jesus. 
She  leaves  her  waterpot  and  hurries  off  to  convey 
to  her  friends  the  tidings  of  the  mysterious  stranger. 
If  not  absolutely  convinced  that  this  is  the  Messiah, 
her  mind  at  any  rate  moves  that  way,  for  she  says, 
"Is  not  this  the  Christ?" 

31-34.  The  words  of  Jesus,  spoken  in  reply  to 
the  offer  of  food  by  the  disciples,  indicate  the 
yearning  passion  of  ministry  which  possessed  Christ's 
soul.  To  have  done  a  work  upon  the  heart  of  the 
Samaritan  woman  w^as  meat  and  drink  to  Him 
(v.  34). 

35.  Jesus  sees  the  people  coming  forth  to  Him 
from  the  city  (v.  30),  and  speaks  of  them  as  a 
harvest  ready  for  the  sickle.  Perhaps  the  disciples 
had  made  some  observation  about  the  time  to 
harvest  and  the  condition  of  the  crops  (the  first 
part  of  the  verse  seems  to  suggest  this).  Christ's 
harvest  was  not  four  months  ahead — it  was 
now. 

36-38.  The  disciples  would  have  a  part  in  the 
reaping  which  was  shortly  to  take  place  (vv.  39-42), 
but  no  part  in  the  sowing  had  been  theirs.  They 
would  rejoice  with  the  Sower  (v.  36),  and  enter 
into  the  fruit  of  labours  which  they  themselves 
had  not  performed. 

39,  40.  Two  results  are  announced  as  having 
followed  the  conversation  at  the  well.    These  verses 


74    Westminster  New  Testament 

give  the  first.  Many  of  the  Samaritans  believed 
because  of  the  woman's  account. 

they  besought  him  that  he  would  tarry 
with  them.  A  striking  proof  of  the  effect  pro- 
duced. These  people  overcame  the  dislike  and 
prejudice  which  they  must  have  felt  against  a  Jew. 

41 J  42.  These  verses  give  the  second  result. 
The  hearsay  faith  with  which  many  began  changed 
to  a  faith  based  on  their  own  personal  experience. 

the  Saviour  of  the  world.  A  large  expression 
to  come  from  these  Samaritan  lips.  To  have  found 
the  Messiah  in  one  of  the  race  they  hated, 
had  made  all  barriers  between  man  and  man  of 
no  account  in  their  thought.  The  idea  of  the 
universality  of  salvation  sprang  up  as  it  were 
spontaneously  within  their  minds. 


John  4.  43-54. 
JESUS  AND  THE  NOBLEMAN'S  SON. 

43  Now  after  two  days  he  departed  thence,  and  went 

44  into    GaHlee.     For    Jesus    himself    testified,    that    a 

45  prophet  hath  no  honour  in  his  own  country.  Then 
when  he  was  come  into  Galilee,  the  Gahlaeans  re- 
ceived him,  having  seen  all  the  things  that  he  did 
at  Jerusalem  at  the  feast  :  for  they  also  went  unto 

46  the  feast.  So  Jesus  came  again  into  Cana  of  Galilee, 
where  he  made  the  water  wine.  And  there  was  a 
certain  nobleman,  whose  son  was  sick  at  Capernaum. 

47  When  he  heard  that  Jesus  was  come  out  of  Judaea 
into  Gahlee,  he  went  unto  him,  and  besought  him 
that  he  would  come  down,  and  heal  his  son  :  for  he 

48  was  at  the  point  of  death.     Then  said  Jesus  unto 


St.  John  75 

him.  Except  ye  see  signs  and  wonders,  ye  will  not 

49  believe.     The  nobleman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  come 

50  down  ere  my  child  die.  Jesus  saith  unto  him.  Go 
thy  way  ;  thy  son  liveth.  And  the  man  believed 
the  word  that  Jesus  had  spoken  unto  him,  and  he 

51  went  his  way.  And  as  he  was  now  going  down,  his 
servants  met  him,   and  told  him,   saying.   Thy  son 

52  liveth.  Then  enquired  he  of  them  the  hour  when 
he  began  to  amend.  And  they  said  unto  him. 
Yesterday  at  the  seventh  hour  the  fever  left  him. 

53  So  the  father  knew  that  it  was  at  the  same  hour, 
in  the  which  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Thy  son  liveth  : 

54  and  himself  believed,  and  his  whole  house.  This 
is  again  the  second  miracle  that  Jesus  did,  when 
he  was  come  out  of  Judaea  into  Galilee. 

In  this  narrative  the  Evangelist  accomplishes  a 
twofold  object.  He  gives  an  instance  of  Christ's 
power  to  heal,  and  at  the  same  time  shows  Christ 
demanding  a  higher  faith  than  that  implied  in  a 
mere  desire  to  see  wonders  performed.  By  both 
means  John  seeks  to  deepen  the  impression  of  the 
miiqueness  of  the  character  of  Jesus.  His  marvel- 
lous power — and,  on  the  other  hand.  His  equally 
marvellous  restraint  of  power — are  alike  revealed 
in  the  narrative,  as  in  the  narrative  of  the  first 
miracle  in  chapter  2.  Jesus  is  not  satisfied  with 
the  nobleman's  first  faith  (v.  48) ;  but,  in  response 
to  the  suppliant's  renewed  pleading.  He  performs 
the  miracle  ;  and  the  faith  of  the  nobleman  rises 
to  loftier  levels  (v.  53)  at  the  story's  close. 

43.  Now  after  two  days.  That  is,  after  the 
two  days  with  the  Samaritans  spoken  of  in  v.  40. 

44.  This  verse  has  occasioned  considerable  dis- 
cussion, and  various  meanings  have  been  found  in 
it.      There   is,   however,   no   real   difficulty.     The 


76    Westminster  New  Testament 

question  it  raises  is^  Why^  if  Jesus  knew  tiiat  He 
would  have  no  honour  in  His  own  country  of 
Gahlee,  should  He  go  there  ?  The  obvious  answer 
is  that  He  wished  for  quiet  after  the  strain  of 
recent  events^  and,  precisely  because  Galilee  was 
the  place  where  He  might  expect  to  be  neglected, 
chose  to  go  there. 

45.  This  verse  shows,  however,  that  Jesus  did 
not  obtain  the  quiet  He  desired.  The  Galilaeans 
had  seen  the  miracles  at  Jerusalem  (2.  23)  and 
were  anxious  for  further  displays  of  power. 

46.  a  certain  nobleman.  Probably  an  officer 
connected  with  the  court  of  Herod  Antipas. 
Capernaum  was  twenty  miles  from  Cana,  so 
that  the  anxious  father  made  a  considerable 
journey. 

48.  This  is  the  protest  of  Jesus  against  the 
greed  for  miracle  by  which  the  Galilaeans  were 
just  then  animated,  and  an  intimation  to  the 
nobleman  that  Jesus  must  not  be  looked  upon  as 
a  mere  worker  of  marvellous  things. 

signs  and  wonders.  On  "signs,"  see  2.  ii. 
"  Wonders  "  characterises  the  miracles  simply  in 
their  external  ajjpearance.  It  is,  for  instance,  the 
word  which  might  be  applied  to  a  conjurer's  tricks. 
The  use  of  the  two  words  by  Jesus  here  implies 
that  what  to  Him  were  "signs"  were  to  these 
people  only  "wonders" — and  with  this  He  could 
not  be  content. 

49.  The  nobleman  feels  that  somehow  he  has 
not  quite  struck  the  right  note ;  but,  not  under- 
standing, he  repeat^  his  plea  with  added  emphasis 
and  pathos. 

50.  the  man  believed  the  word,  etc.  This 
marks  the  dawn  of  a  higher  faith  in  the  nobleman's 


St.  John  77 

heart.  He  had  seen  no  miracle^,  but  he  accepted 
the  statement  made  by  Christ. 

52,  53.  Note  the  eagerness  of  the  nobleman  to 
have  his  faith  confirmed.  He  inquires  anxiously 
whether  the  recovery  of  his  son  coincided  with  the 
speaking  of  Christ's  word. 

Yesterday.  Since  the  day  began  at  sunset^  it 
was  probably  on  the  same  day  as  that  of  the 
nobleman's  interview  with  Jesus  (according  to  our 
reckoning)  that  the  servants  and  the  master  met. 
It  is  scarcely  likely  that  the  nobleman  waited 
through  a  night  before  beginning  his  homeward 
journey,  considering  all  the  circumstances. 

himself  believed,  and  his  whole  house. 
The  nobleman  attained  at  last  to  a  deeper  and 
fully  confirmed  faith,  a  faith  of  the  more  spiritual 
kind  which  Christ  desired.  Also  all  connected 
with  him  believed  —  a  fact  paralleled  by  other 
instances  in  the  New  Testament. 

54.  the  second  miracle.  The  first  had  been 
the  turning  of  water  into  wine.  The  verse  may 
be  paraphrased  thus :  "  This  is  the  second  occasion 
on  vvhich  Jesus,  coming  from  Judaea  into  Galilee, 
performed  a  miracle."  It  does  not  mean  that  on 
the  occasion  of  this  "  coming "  there  were  two 
miracles. 

John  5.  1-16. 

THE  HEALING  OF  THE  IMPOTENT  MAN, 
AND  ITS  EFFECT  UPON  THE  JEWS. 

After  this  there  was  a  feast  of  the  Jews  ;  and  Jesus 

2  went  up  to  Jerusalem.     Now  there  is  at  Jerusalem 
by  the  sheep  market  a  pool,  which  is  called  in  the 

3  Hebrew  tongue  Bethesda,  having  five  porches.     In 


78   Westminster  New  Testament 

these   lay   a  great   multitude  of  impotent   folk,   of 
blind,  halt,  withered,  waiting  for  the  moving  of  the 

4  water.  For  an  angel  went  down  at  a  certain  season 
into  the  pool,  and  troubled  the  water  :  whosoever 
then  first  after  the  troubUng  of  the  water  stepped 
in  was  made  whole  of  whatsoever  disease  he  had. 

5  And  a  certain  man  was  there,  which  had  an  infirmity 

6  thirty  and  eight  years.  When  Jesus  saw  him  lie, 
and  knew  that  he  had  been  now  a  long  time  in  that 
case,  he  saith  unto  him,  Wilt  thou  be  made  whole  ? 

7  The  impotent  man  answered  him.  Sir,  I  have  no 
man,  when  the  water  is  troubled,  to  put  me  into 
the  pool :  but  while  I  am  coming,  another  steppeth 

8  down  before  me.     Jesus  saith  unto  him.  Rise,  take 

9  up  thy  bed,  and  walk.  And  immediately  the  man 
was  made  whole,  and  took  up  his  bed,  and  walked  : 

ID  and  on  the  same  day  was  the  sabbath.  The  Jews 
therefore  said  unto  him  that  was  cured.  It  is  the 
sabbath  day  :  it  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to  carry  thy 

1 1  bed.  He  answered  them.  He  that  made  me  whole, 
the  same  said  unto  me.  Take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk. 

12  Then  asked  they  him,  What  man  is  that  which  said 

13  unto  thee.  Take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk  ?  And  he 
that  was  healed  wist  not  who  it  was  :  for  Jesus  had 
conveyed  himself  away,  a  multitude  being  in  that 

14  place.  Afterward  Jesus  findeth  him  in  the  temple, 
and  said  unto  him.  Behold,  thou  art  made  whole  : 

1 5  sin  no  more,  lest  a  worse  thing  come  unto  thee.  The 
man  departed,  and  told  the  Jews  thai  it  was  Jesus, 

16  which  had  made  him  whole.  And  therefore  did  the 
Jews  persecute  Jesus,  and  sought  to  slay  him, 
because  he  had  done  these  things  on  the  sabbath 
day. 

In  speaking  of  the  divisions  of  the  Gospel  (see 
Introduction),  it  was  said  that  with  the  fifth 
chapter  the  Evangelist  begins  a  new  method.     In 


St.  John  79 

this  chapter,  and  in  the  following  ones  down  to 
the  eighteenth  verse  of  the  tenth,  John  shows  us 
the  inner  consciousness  of  Jesus  revealing  itself 
He  does  not  so  much  speak  about  Jesus,  as  let 
what  is  within  Jesus  speak  for  itself.  In  this  fifth 
chapter  the  voice  of  Christ's  consciousness  speaks 
of  Him  as  having  ^Mife  in  Himself"  (v.  26,  which 
is  the  key-verse  of  the  chapter).  This  conception 
will  be  dealt  with  presently :  at  present,  we  are 
to  note  that  the  miracle  of  this  section  is  the 
occasion  of  the  subsequent  discourse.  By  the  hos- 
tility which  the  miracle  excited,  because  it  was 
wrought  upon  the  sabbath,  Jesus  is  moved  to  the 
profound  utterance  contained  in  the  rest  of  the 
chapter.  The  precise  line  of  connection  will  be 
seen  when  the  discourse  comes  under  review. 

1.  a  feast  of  the  Jews.  What  feast  is  alluded 
to  has  been  greatly  disputed,  and  it  cannot  be 
said  that  there  is  sufficient  balance  of  probability 
in  favour  of  any  one  feast  to  warrant  a  feeling  of 
certainty.  Had  it  been  the  Passover,  it  would 
probably  have  been  so  named,  according  to  the 
Evangelist's  usual  practice.  Most  of  those  who 
refuse  to  identify  it  with  the  Passover  incline  to 
take  it  as  the  feast  of  Purim  ;  and  although  there 
are  difficulties  in  the  way  (the  fact,  for  instance, 
that  people  did  not  as  a  rule  go  up  to  Jerusalem 
for  this  feast,  but  kept  it  at  home),  it  is  perhaps 
the  most  likely  of  all.  The  feast  of  Purim,  which 
commemorated  the  deliverance  of  the  Jews  by 
Esther,  was  held  in  March  ;  and  from  4.  S5  we 
may  gather  that  at  about  this  season  the  events  of 
chapter  5  took  place.  Also  the  Passover,  held  in 
April,  was  approaching  (6.  4). 

2.  a  pool.     The    pool   has    ])een   identified   in 


8o    Westminster  New  Testament 

modern  times.  The  "  porches  "  were  the  places 
at  the  side  where  the  invahds  waited  for  their 
opportunity. 

Bethesda.    Probably  signifying  "  Mercy-house." 

3,  4.  The  final  clause  of  v.  3  and  the  whole 
of  V.  4  are  omitted  in  R.V.,  following  the 
best  MSS.  They  are  probably  interpolations 
conveying  the  popular  impression  as  to  the  cause 
of  the  cures  wrought  by  an  intermittent  chalybeate 
spring. 

6,  7.  The  question  put  to  the  sick  man  by  Jesus 
was  intended^  evidently,  to  rouse  him  from  the 
despair  into  which  his  fruitless  waiting  had  thrust 
him.  The  man's  reply  sounds  like  a  final  and 
hopeless  acceptance  of  failure.  So  much  the  more 
astounding,  therefore,  must  the  quickly  wrought 
cure  have  appeared  to  him. 

8,  9.  The  method  of  the  cure  is  an  interesting- 
illustration  of  that  "life  in  Himself"  whereof 
Jesus  speaks  in  the  subsequent  address  to  the 
Jews.  No  touch  of  the  waters  upon  the  man  was 
needed — the  simple  pressure  of  Christ's  personality 
upon  the  man's  made  the  man  whole. 

10.  It  is  the  sabbath  day.     A  revelation  of 

the  Jews'  state  of  mind.  The  miracle  itself  was 
nothing  to  them,  and  they  remained  unimpressed. 
The  fact  that  it  was  wrought  on  the  sabbath 
obliterated  for  them  everything  else.     See  v.  l6. 

11.  The  man's  reply  is  just.  He  asserts,  in 
effect,  that  the  possessor  of  such  a  marvellous 
power  was  entitled  to  be  a  law  unto  Himself  in 
the  matter  of  sabbath  observance. 

14.  sin  no  more.  In  some  way,  clearly,  the 
man  had  brought  his  illness  upon  himself. 


St.  John  8i 


John  5.  17-47. 
THE  DISCOURSE  ON  "LIFE  IN  HIMSELF." 

17  But    Jesus    answered    them,    My    Father    worketh 

18  hitherto,  and  I  work.  Therefore  the  Jews  sought 
the  more  to  kill  him,  because  he  not  only  had  broken 
the  sabbath,  but  said  also  that  God  was  his  Father, 

19  making  himself  equal  with  God.  Then  answered 
Jesus  and  said  unto  them.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you.  The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself,  but  what 
he   seeth   the   Father   do  :    for   what    things   soever 

20  he  doeth,  these  also  doeth  the  Son  likewise.  For 
the  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  sheweth  him  all 
things  that  himself  doeth  :   and  he  will  shew  him 

21  greater  works  than  these,  that  ye  may  marvel.  For 
as  the  Father  raiseth  up  the  dead,  and  quickeneth 
them  ;  even  so  the  Son  quickeneth  whom  he  will. 

22  For  the  Father  judgeth  no  man,  but  hath  committed 

23  all  judgment  unto  the  Son:  that  all  men  should 
honour  the  Son,  even  as  they  honour  the  Father. 
He  that  honoureth  not  the  Son  honoureth  not  the 

24  Father  which  hath  sent  him.  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you.  He  that  heareth  my  word,  and  believeth 
on  him  that  sent  me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall 
not  come  into  condemnation  ;  but  is  passed  from 

25  death  unto  life.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you. 
The  hour  is  coming,  and  now  is,  when  the  dead 
shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God  :  and  they 

26  that  hear  shall  live.  For  as  the  Father  hath  life  in 
himself  ;  so  hath  he  given  to  the  Son  to  have  life  in 

27  himself  ;  and  hath  given  him  authority  to  execute 

28  judgment  also,  because  he  is  the  Son  of  man.  Marvel 
not  at  this  :  for  the  hour  is  coming,  in  the  which  all 

29  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  his  voice,  and 
shall  come  forth  ;  they  that  have  done  good,  unto 

6 


82    Westminster  New  Testament 

the  resurrection  of  life  ;   and   they  that  have  done 

30  evil,  unto  the  resurrection  of  damnation.  I  can 
of  mine  own  self  do  nothing  :  as  I  hear,  I  judge  : 
and  my  judgment  is  just  ;  because  I  seek  not  mine 
own  will,  but  the  will  of  the  Father  which  hath  sent 

31  me.     If  I  bear  witness  of  myself,  my  \\itness  is  not 

32  true.  There  is  another  that  beareth  witness  of  me  ; 
and  I  know  that  the  witness  which  he  witnesseth 

33  of  me  is   true.     Ye  sent  unto   John,   and  he  bare 

34  witness  unto  the  truth.  But  I  receive  not  testi- 
mony from  man  :  but  these  things  I  say,  that  ye 

35  might  be  saved.  He  was  a  burning  and  a  shining 
light  :  and  ye  were  willing  for  a  season  to  rejoice  in 

$6  his  light.  But  I  have  greater  witness  than  that  of 
John  :  for  the  works  which  the  Father  hath  given 
me  to  finish,  the  same  works  that  I  do,  bear  witness 

27  of  me,  that  the  Father  hath  sent  me.  And  the 
Father  himself,  which  hath  sent  me,  hath  borne 
witness  of   me.     Ye  have   neither    heard  his  voice 

38  at  any  time,  nor  seen  his  shape.  And  ye  have  not 
his  word  abiding  in  you  :  for  whom  he  hath  sent, 

39  him  ye  believe  not.  Search  the  scriptures  ;  for  in 
them  3^e  think  5'e  have  eternal  life  :  and  they  are 

40  they  which  testify  of  me.     And  ye  vv^ill  not  come  to 

41  me,  that  ye  might  have  life.     I  receive  not  honour 

42  from  men.     But  I  know  you,  that  ye  have  not  the 

43  love  of  God  in  you.  I  am  come  in  my  Father's 
name,  and  ye  receive  me  not  :  if  another  shall  come 

44  in  his  own  name,  him  ye  will  receive.  How  can  ye 
believe,  which  receive  honour  one  of  another,  and 
seek  not  the  honour  that  cometh  from  God  only  ? 

45  Do  not  think  that  I  will  accuse  you  to  the  Father  : 
there  is  one  that  accuseth  you,  even  Moses,  in  whom 

46  ye   trust.     For   had    ye   beheved   Moses,    ye   would 

47  have  believed  me  :  for  he  wTote  of  mc.  But  if  ye 
believe  not  liis  writings,  how  shall  ye  believe  my 
words  ? 


St.  John  83 

This  section  contains  the  profound  discourse 
spoken  by  Jesus  in  reply  to  the  criticism  of  the 
Jews.  The  discourse  is,  however,  much  more 
than  a  reply  to  that  criticism ;  for,  although  Jesus 
briefly  liotices  the  charge  of  sabbath-breaking 
(v.  17),  He  immediately  passes  on  to  greater 
themes.  As  previously  said,  the  key-verse  of  the 
discourse — indeed,  of  the  whole  Gospel — is  v.  26. 
The  great  assertion  is  that  the  creative  power  of 
the  Father  has  been  bestow^ed  upon  the  Son,  so 
that  the  Son  is  able  literally  and  actually  to 
produce  a  new  life  in  those  who  identify  themselves 
with  Him.  Jesus  claims  herein  to  be  much  more 
than  a  Teacher,  much  more  even  than  One  in 
complete  harmony  with  God.  He  claims  to 
possess  a  delegated  creative  power.  In  this  way 
does  Jesus  express,  out  of  the  divine  consciousness 
in  Him,  His  mission  to  the  world.  From  the 
miracle  He  has  performed  upon  the  impotent  man 
— which  has  been  an  example  of  creative  power  in 
exercise — His  thought  passes  on  to  the  larger  and 
more  spiritual  life-giving  ministry  which  He  came 
to  work. 

17.  This  verse  contains  Christ's  brief  answer — 
the  only  answer  He  deigns  to  give — to  the 
accusation  of  breaking  the  sabbath.  Its  point  is 
this,  that  the  Father  has  continued  His  Mork  of 
beneficent  kindness  to  the  world  even  since  His 
original  work  of  creation  closed — Christ  Himself 
was  therefore,  in  His  work  of  mercy,  doing  what 
the  Father  did.  If  God  worked  after  the  period 
of  sabbath-rest  began  (Gen.  2.  1-3),  no  charge 
could  lie  against  the  Son  for  doing  likewise. 

19,  20.  In  this  great  assertion  of  complete 
harmony  between  the  Father  and  Himself,  Jesus 


84   Westminster  New  Testament 

flings  out  a  challenge  to  His  foes.  He  does  not 
merely  defend  Himself  against  their  criticism,  but 
makes  an  assertion  which  He  knows  will  anger 
them  still  more.  And  He  goes  even  further  than 
this  assertion,  as  we  shall  presently  see.  Jesus  is 
working  up,  so  to  say,  to  the  great  idea  of  v.  26. 

21-23.  This  is  a  further  step  in  the  assertion. 
Not  only  is  the  Son  in  complete  harmomj  with  the 
Father,  as  stated  in  vv.  19,  20,  but  the  Son  has 
the  Father's  power  of  life-giving. 

whom  he  will.  That  is,  the  Son  decides 
whether  in  any  soul  the  necessary  conditions  have 
been  fulfilled.  V.  22  insists  on  the  same  idea. 
The  Son  judges  for  Himself.  He  makes  His 
conditions,  and  calls  for  their  fulfilment. 

24,  25.  A  repetition  of  the  same  idea  of  life- 
giving,  but  with  an  added  element.  The  life 
given  by  the  Son  is  ^^everlasting."  There  is 
nothing  temporary  about  His  work,  and  no  revision 
of  His  judgment. 

the  dead.  There  is  doubtless  a  reference  to 
life  on  its  physical  side,  but  the  spiritual  life-giving 
is  the  important  idea. 

26.  This  is  the  crowning  statement.  Lest  the 
foregoing  should  in  some  way  have  failed  to  convey 
its  meaning  to  the  listeners'  minds,  or  lest  they 
should  discover  some  possible  evasion  of  its  sig- 
nificance, by  which  the  Son  should  be  belittled, 
Christ  once  more  asserts  the  reality  of  His  life- 
giving  power  in  plainest  terms.  He  is  no  unknow- 
ing instrument  in  the  Father's  hands.  He  has 
^Hife  in  Himself,"  and  the  actual  power  of  creative 
initiative  possessed  by  the  Father  has  been  given 
into  His  keeping. 

27.  authority  to   execute   judgment,  etc. 


St.  John  85 

Judgment  —  discrimination  among  the  varying 
natures  of  men — is  in  the  hands  of  One  who  Himself 
shares  humanity.  This  endowment  of  Ufe-giving 
power,  of  which  Christ  has  been  speakino-,  does  not 
make  Him  any  the  less  man.  And  man  cannot 
plead  that  the  Judge  is  too  far  removed  from  him 
to  understand  the  case  He  judges. 

28,  29.  Marvel  not  at  this.  A  silencing  of 
the  critics'  rising  astonishment.  "  Do  not  marvel 
at  this — spare  your  wonder — for  there  is  something 
still  more  surprising  to  be  said."  And  the  more 
surprising  thing  is  the  subsequent  announcement  of 
a  final  judgment  of  the  whole  world  for  which 
the  Son  shall  give  the  signal.  It  seems  as  if  Jesus 
were  bent  upon  forcing  His  enemies  to  face  His  ut- 
most claims,  and  either  to  accept  them  or  to  reject. 

30.  The  ^^  I "  is  emphatic.  The  utterance  of 
this  verse  combines  a  perfect  humility  with  a 
remarkable  self-assertion.  Of  Himself  Jesus  could 
do  nothing,  but  through  His  relation  with  God  He 
could  do  all. 

31.  Perhaps  some  of  those  standing  by  charged 
Jesus  with  bearing  witness  of  Himself,  or  perhaps 
Jesus  replies  to  an  unspoken  charge  which  He  knew 
was  in  their  minds.  In  this  instance  He  takes 
them  on  their  ground,  and  proceeds  on  the 
assumption  that  He  has  other  witness  than  His  own, 
and  that  the  bearing  of  witness  to  Himself  would 
discredit  Him.  But  compare  8.  14,  where  Jesus 
takes  a  different  line. 

32.  This  refers  to  the  inward  witness  of  God  in 
the  consciousness  of  Jesus. 

33.  Since  the  Jews,  however,  would  take  v.  32 
as  referring  to  the  Baptist,  Jesus  goes  on  to  speak 
of  him. 


86    Westminster  New  Testament 

34,  35.  Jesus  put  the  testimony  of  the  Baptist 
far  below  that  of  His  own  inner  sense,  and  Himself 
had  no  need  of  it.  But  for  the  listeners'  sakes, 
He  spoke  of  it. 

ye  were  willing  for  a  season,  etc.  Spoken 
of  the  people  as  a  whole,  and  referring  to  the 
multitudes  who  had  crowded  to  the  baptism  of 
John.      How  little  had  come  of  it ! 

36.  the  works  which  the  Father  hath 
given  me,  etc.  This  presses  the  matter  closer 
home.  These  ^'  works  "  at  least  were  undeniable. 
But  the  Jews  said  of  them  that  they  were  wrought 
by  evil  agency — thus  proving  that  they  ivould  not 
be  impressed. 

37.  the  Father  himself.  Probably  meaning 
that  the  Father  had  borne  witness  in  the  Scriptures 
of  which  He  is  about  to  speak.  Jesus  turns  aside 
for  a  moment  in  the  last  clause  of  the  verse  and  in 
V.  38  to  assure  the  Jews  that  they  did  not  know 
at  all  the  God  whom  they  thought  they  knew  so 
well. 

39,  40.  Search.  Or,  "Ye  search,"  although  the 
A.V.  makes  the  utterance  more  pointed.  If  there 
was  one  thing  these  people  thought  they  knew, 
it  was  the  Scripture.  Yet,  with  all  their  study, 
they  had  missed  the  very  thing  the  Scripture  had 
to  teach. 

41,  42.  Jesus  asserts  that  it  was  not  concern  for 
His  own  honour,  but  concern  for  the  hearers' 
spiritual  state,  by  which  He  was  moved. 

43.  Almost  a  touch  of  sarcasm.  The  Jews  were 
always  running  after  false  Messiahs,^and  so  it  would 
be  again. 

44.  The  Jews,  with  their  social  and  ecclesiastical 
distinctions,  had  lost  all  sense  of  what  constituted 


St.  John  87 

true  worth.  It  was  a  practically  impossible  thing, 
therefore,  for  them  to  recognise  and  believe  in  the 
spiritual  w^orth  of  Christ. 

45_47.  Again  a  touch  of  something  like  sarcasm. 
These  people  were  always  invoking  the  authority 
of  Moses,  justifying  themselves  in  what  they  did  by 
an  appeal  to  his  words.  And  this  Moses,  "  in 
whom  ye  trust,"  will  turn  your  accuser ! 


John  6.  1-14. 
THE  FEEDING  OF  THE  FIVE  THOUSAND. 

After  these  things  Jesus  went  over  the  sea  of  Galilee, 

2  which  is  the  sea  of  Tiberias.  And  a  great  multitude 
followed  him,  because  they  saw  his  miracles  which 

3  he  did  on  them  that  were  diseased.  And  Jesus  went 
up  into  a  mountain,  and  there  he  sat  with  his  dis- 

4  ciples.     And  the  passover,  a  feast  of  the  Jews,  was 

5  nigh.  When  Jesus  then  Ufted  up  his  eyes,  and  saw 
a  great  company  come  unto  him,  he  saith  unto 
PhiUp,  Whence  shall  we  buy  bread,  that  these  may 

6  eat  ?     And  this  he  said  to  prove  him  :  for  he  him- 

7  self  knew  what  he  would  do.  PhiHp  answered  him. 
Two  hundred  pennyworth  of  bread  is  not  sufficient 
for  them,  that  every  one  of  them  may  take  a  little. 

8  One  of  his  disciples,  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother, 

9  saith  unto  him,  There  is  a  lad  here,  which  hath  five 
barley  loaves,  and  two  small  fishes  :  but  what  are 

10  they  among  so  many  ?  And  Jesus  said.  Make  the 
men  sit  down.  Now  there  was  much  grass  in  the 
place.     So  the  men  sat  down,  in  number  about  five 

1 1  thousand.  And  Jesus  took  the  loaves  ;  and  when 
he  had  given  thanks,  he  distributed  to  the  disciples, 
and  the  disciples  to  them  that  were  set  down  ;  and 


88    Westminster  New  Testament 

12  likewise  of  the  fishes  as  much  as  they  would.  When 
they  were  filled,  he  said  unto  his  disciples,  Gather 
up  the  fragments  that  remain,  that  nothing  be  lost. 

13  Therefore  they  gathered  them  together,  and  filled 
twelve  baskets  with  the  fragments  of  the  five  barley 
loaves,  which  remained  over  and  above  unto  them 

14  that  had  eaten.  Then  those  men,  when  they  had 
seen  the  miracle  that  Jesus  did,  said,  This  is  of  a 
truth  that  prophet  that  should  come  into  the  world. 

In  this  chapter,  Jesus,  again  revealing  the  depths 
of  His  inner  consciousness,  repeats  in  another  form 
the  idea  of  the  chapter  which  went  before.  In 
the  fifth  chapter  He  has  spoken  of  having  "  life  in 
Himself,"  and  has  indicated,  as  a  consequence, 
that  by  an  actual  identification  of  man  with  Christ 
is  the  benefit  of  Christ's  ministry  received.  In  the 
sixth  the  same  conception  is  presented  under  the 
metaphor  of  bread,  and  Christ  speaks  of  Himself  as 
the  "Bread  of  Life."  As  in  the  previous  chapter, 
so  in  this,  the  discourse  springs  from  a  miracle  ; 
and  it  is  with  the  miracle  that  this  preliminary 
section  is  concerned. 

This  miracle,  wdth  the  subsequent  discourse, 
belongs  to  Galilee,  while  those  of  the  previous 
chapter  belong  to  Jerusalem.  The  setting  of  the 
two  in  this  close  proximity  illustrates  the  Evangel- 
ist's principle  of  selection.  He  aims  at  setting 
down,  in  this  part  of  his  Gospel,  those  utterances 
of  Jesus  in  which  His  inmost  consciousness  finds 
expression. 

1.  After  these  things.  The  expression  is  very 
indefinite  as  to  time,  and  must  not  be  taken  as 
meaning  directly  after  what  has  just  been  narrated. 
It  is  thought  by  some  (specially  by  Wellhausen 
of  late)  that  things  become  clearer  if  chapters  5 


St.  John  89 

and  6  are  transposed.  Certainly  6.  1  would  follow 
easily  upon  4.  54,  and  5.  1  upon  6.  71,  and 
7.  1  upon  5.  47.  But  there  hardly  seems  any 
real  necessity  for  the  rearrangement,  plausible 
as  it  is. 

the  sea  of  Galilee.     See  Introduction,  p.  18. 

4.  the  passover  .  .  .  was  nigh.  Perhaps 
inserted  to  explain  the  large  number  of  the  people. 
There  would  be  many  pilgrims  on  the  way  to 
Jerusalem  for  the  feast. 

5,  6.  Philip  seems  to  have  been  prosaic,  some- 
what narrow  in  outlook,  with  little  apprehension 
of  spiritual  realities  and  forces.  (Compare  14.  8.) 
Jesus  takes  the  opportunity  of  showing  him  how 
the  matter-of-fact  view  of  a  situation  may  fail  to 
exhaust  it. 

7.  Two  hundred  pennyworth.  About  £7, 
Philip  probably  fixes  on  a  sum  far  above  the  total 
of  what  they  possessed.  "  Even  if  we  had  that 
impossible  amount !  " 

12,  13.  The  gathering  of  the  fragments  would 
afford  indisputable  evidence  of  the  miracle  that  had 
been  wrought. 

14.  that  prophet.    See  on  1.  21. 


John  6.  15-21. 

AN  INTERLUDE:   JESUS  WALKS  UPON 
THE  SEA. 

15  When  Jesus  therefore  perceived  that  they  would 
come  and  take  him  by  force,  to  make  him  a  king, 
he  departed  again  into  a  mountain  himself  alone. 

16  And  when  even  was  now  come,   his  disciples  went 


90    Westminster  New  Testament 

17  down  unto  the  sea,  and  entered  into  a  ship,  and 
went  over  the  sea  toward  Capernaum.     And  it  was 

18  now  dark,  and  Jesus  was  not  come  to  them.  And 
the  sea  arose  by  reason  of  a  great  wind  that  blew. 

19  So  when  they  had  rowed  about  five  and  twenty 
or  thirty  furlongs,  they  see  Jesus  walking  on  the 
sea,    and   drawing   nigh    unto  -  the    ship  :    and    they 

20  were  afraid.     But  he  saith  unto  them,  It  is  I  ;  be 

21  not  afraid.  Then  they  willingly  received  him  into 
the  ship  :  and  immediately  the  ship  was  at  the  land 
whither  they  went. 

The  incident  of  the  walking  upon  the  sea  is 
inserted  here  in  order  to  preserve  historic  con- 
tinuity^  as  the  subsequent  discourse  was  spoken 
in  a  different  place  from  that  where  the  miracle 
was  wrought.  The  incident  also  affords  another 
instance  of  the  supernatural  power  of  Jesus,  and 
therefore  assists  John's  main  purpose.  It  is 
interesting  to  note  that  the  preceding  miracle, 
and  the  walking  upon  the  sea,  together  make  up 
the  only  event  recorded  in  all  four  Gospels — of 
course  leaving  out  of  account  the  final  scenes  at 
Jerusalem.  Matthew,  in  his  account  of  this 
incident  (14.  22-33),  introduces  the  additional 
fact  of  Peter's  walking  over  the  \vaters  to  Jesus. 
John,  concerned  above  all  things  with  Jesus 
Himself,  omits  this  as  not  relevant  to  his  primary 
aim. 

15.  When  Jesus  therefore  perceived,  etc. 

The  enthusiasm  of  the  multitude  had  no  real 
spiritual  basis.  They  saw,  or  thought  they  saw, 
a  possibility  of  permanent  material  enrichment, 
and  were  anxious  to  elevate  Him  who  could 
provide  that  enrichment  to  the  highest  place. 
The    spiritual    side    of    the    miracle — the    divine 


St.  John  91 

character  of  Him  by  whom  it  was  wrought — had 
been  quite  overlooked.     Cf.  v.  26. 

21.  willingly.  The  R.V.  better  conveys  the 
sense.  "They  were  wilHng  therefore  to  receive/' 
etc.  As  Matthew  has  it,  they  had  supposed  Him 
to  be  a  spirit.  The  removal  of  their  apprehension 
removed  also  their  reluctance  to  admit  Jesus  into 
the  boat. 

and  immediately  the  ship  was  at  the  land, 

etc.  Not  necessarily  indicating  anything  super- 
natural, but  only  that  the  remainder  of  the  voyage 
passed  without  danger  or  fear. 


John  6.  22-59. 

THE  DISCOURSE:  JESUS  THE  BREAD 
OF  LIFE. 

22  The  day  following,  when  the  people  which  stood 
on  the  other  side  of  the  sea  saw  that  there  was  none 
other  boat  there,  save  that  one  whereinto  his  dis- 
ciples were  entered,  and  that  Jesus  went  not  with 
his   disciples  into   the  boat,  but   that  his   disciples 

23  were  gone  away  alone  ;  (howbeit  there  came  other 
boats  from  Tiberias  nigh  unto  the  place  where  they 
did  eat  bread,  after  that  the  Lord  had  given  thanks  :) 

24  When  the  people  therefore  saw  that  Jesus  was  not 
there,  neither  his  disciples,  they  also  took  shipping, 

25  and  came  to  Capernaum,  seeking  for  Jesus.  And 
when  they  had  found  him  on  the  other  side  of  the 
sea,  they  said  unto  him.  Rabbi,  when  earnest  thou 

26  hither  ?  Jesus  answered  them  and  said.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Ye  seek  me,  not  because  ye 
saw  the  miracles,  but  because  ye  did  eat  of  the  loaves, 

27  and  were  filled.     Labour  not   for   the  meat   which 


92    Westminster  New  Testament 

perisheth,  but  for  that  meat  which  endureth  unto 
everlasting  Hie,  which  the  Son  of  man  shall  give 
unto  you  :     for  him   hath   God   the  Father   sealed. 

28  Then  said  they  unto  him,  What  shall  we  do,  that 

29  we  might  work  the  works  of  God  ?  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  them,  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that 

30  ye  beHeve  on  him  whom  he  hath  sent.  They  said 
therefore  unto  him,  What  sign  shewest  thou  then, 
that  we  may  see,  and  believe  thee  ?    what  dost  thou 

31  work  ?  Our  fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the  desert  ; 
as  it  is  written.  He  gave  them  bread  from  heaven  to 

32  eat.  Then  Jesus  said  unto  them.  Verily,  verily,  I 
say  unto  you,  Moses  gave  you  not  that  bread  from 
heaven  ;  but  my  Father  giveth  you  the  true  bread 

33  from  heaven.  For  the  bread  of  God  is  he  which 
Cometh  down  from  heaven,  and  giveth  life  unto  the 

34  world.     Then  said  they  unto  him,  Lord,   evermore 

35  give  us  this  bread.  And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  I 
am  the  bread  of  life  :  he  that  cometh  to  me  shall 
never  hunger  ;  and  he  that  believeth  on  me  shall 

36  never   thirst.     But   I   said  unto  you.   That  ye  also 

37  have  seen  me,  and  believe  not.  All  that  the  Father 
giveth  me  shall  come  to  me  ;  and  him  that  cometh 

38  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.  For  I  came  down 
from  heaven,  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will 

39  of  him  that  sent  me.  And  this  is  the  Father's  will 
which  hath  sent  me,  that  of  all  which  he  hath  given 
me  I   should  lose  nothing,   but   should  raise  it   up 

40  again  at  the  last  day.  And  this  is  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  me,  that  every  one  which  seeth  the  Son, 
and  believeth  on  him,   may  have  everlasting  life  : 

41  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  The  Jews 
then  murmured  at  him,  because  he  said,  I  am  the 

42  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven.  And  they 
said.  Is  not  this  Jesus,  the  son  of  Joseph,  whose 
father  and  mother  we  know  ?  how  is  it  then  that  he 

43  saith,  I  came  down  from  heaven  ?     Jesus  therefore 


St.  John  93 

answered  and  said  unto   them,  Murmur  not  among 

44  yourselves.  No  man  can  come  to  me,  except  the 
Father  which  hath  sent  me  draw  him  :   and  I  will 

45  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  It  is  written  in  the 
prophets,  And  they  shall  be  all  taught  of  God. 
Every  man  therefore  that  hath  heard,  and  hath  learned 

46  of  the  Father,  cometh  unto  me.  Not  that  any  man 
hath  seen  the  Father,  save  he  which  is  of  God,  he 

47  hath  seen  the  Father.     Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you. 

48  He  that  believeth  on  me  hath  everlasting  life.     I  am 

49  that    bread    of   life.     Your   fathers   did   eat   manna 

50  in  the  wilderness,  and  are  dead.  This  is  the 
bread    which    cometh    down    from    heaven,    that    a 

5 1  man  may  eat  thereof,  and  not  die.  I  am  the  living 
bread  which  came  down  from  heaven  :  if  any  man 
eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever  :  and  the 
bread  that  I  will  give  is  my  flesh,  which  I  will  give 

52  for  the  life  of  the  world.  The  Jews  therefore  strove 
among  themselves,  saying,  How  can  this  man  give 

53  us  his  flesh  to  eat  ?  Then  Jesus  said  unto  them, 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Except  ye  eat  the 
flesh  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  drink  his  blood,  ye  have 

54  no  life  in  you.  Whoso  eateth  my  flesh,  and  drinketh 
my  blood,  hath  eternal  life  ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up 

55  at  the  last  day.     For  my  flesh  is  meat  indeed,  and 

56  my  blood  is  drink  indeed.  He  that  eateth  my 
flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood,  dwelleth  in  me,  and 

57  I  in  him.  As  the  living  Father  hath  sent  me,  and 
I  live  by  the  Father  :  so  he  that  eateth  me,  even  he 

58  shall  live  by  me.  This  is  that  bread  which  came 
down  from  heaven  :  not  as  your  fathers  did  eat 
manna,  and  are  dead  :  he  that  eateth  of  this  bread 

59  shall  live  for  ever.  These  things  said  he  in  the 
synagogue,  as  he  taught  in  Capernaum. 

As  stated  previously,  this  discourse  reproduces 
in  a  varied  form  the  main  idea  of  the  previous  one. 


94    Westminster  New  Testament 

As  formerly  Jesus  has  indicated,  by  declaring  that 
He  has  "  life  in  Himself,"  that  He  is  the  actual 
Source  of  true  life^  and  that  man  must  consequently 
identify  his  own  personality  with  that  of  Jesus  in 
order  truly  to  live,  so  now  He  indicates  the  same 
idea  by  saying  that  He  is  the  "Bread  of  Life." 
Man  must  therefore  make  himself  one  with  Jesus 
— must  make  Jesus  one  with  himself.  Christ  must 
be  actually  received  into  man  for  the  susteiiance  of 
the  spiritual  life,  as  bread  is  received  into  man  for 
the  sustenance  of  the  physical  life.  In  this  way 
of  putting  it,  Jesus  corrects  the  mistaken  mysticism 
which  might  be  induced  by  the  first  way  in  which 
the  truth  has  been  stated.  "Life  in  Himself" — 
but  it  is  not  a  mere  matter  of  inactive  contempla- 
tion. The  life  and  its  Giver  must  be  reached  out 
for  and  seized  upon,  as  bread  must  be  reached 
out  for  and  seized  upon.  The  suggestion  is  that  of 
a  real  activity  in  the  process  which  unites  man 
with  Christ  and  Christ  with  man. 

It  is  to  be  noted,  also,  that  in  this  discourse 
Jesus  insists,  more  constantly  than  in  the  previous 
one,  that  the  life  He  bestows  is  "  everlastii^g " 
(vv.  27,  40,  50  etc.). 

22-25.  The  construction  is  a  little  involved. 
The  meaning  is  that  the  people  had  noticed  how 
the  disciples  went  away  without  Jesus,  and  ex- 
pected therefore  to  find  Jesus  on  the  same  side  as 
on  the  previous  day.  "The  other  side  of  the  sea  " 
(v.  22)  means  the  other  side  relatively  to  that 
which  the  disciples  (and  Jesus)  had  by  this  time 
reached.  When  the  multitude  failed  to  find  Jesus, 
they  availed  themselves  of  boats  Avhich  had  come 
in  during  the  night  (v.  23),  and  crossed  over. 
They    were    surprised    to    find    that    Jesus    had 


St.  John  95 

somehow  crossed  (v.  25),  since  no  boats  had  been 
left  after  the  disciples  had  set  out  (v.  22). 

26j  27.  Jesus  once  again^  as  we  have  seen  Him 
do  on  previous  occasions,  forces  the  situation,  and 
drives  the  talk  on  to  spiritual  levels  immediately. 
It  is  on  the  question  of  spiritual  sustenance,  and 
on  Himself  as  the  Source  of  it,  that  He  makes  the 
people  concentrate  their  thought. 

28.  What  shall  we  do,  etc.  The  question, 
while  to  some  extent  showing  an  interest  in  the 
subject  which  Jesus  had  raised,  showed  also  that 
the  questioners  had  no  conception  of  life  except  as 
a  reward  for  doing  something.  Religion  was  for 
them  wholly  an  external  matter. 

29.  The    correction  of  their    externalism    is    at 

once  given,    that  ye  believe  on  him  must  of 

course  be  taken  in  the  full  significance  of  the  word 
"believe" — the  significance  which  in  this  Gospel 
(indeed,  in  the  New  Testament  as  a  whole)  the 
word  nearly  always  bears.  It  is  not  belief  in 
the  sense  of  intellectual  assent,  but  in  that  of 
appropriation. 

30.  31.  What   sign    shewest  thou?     One 

would  have  supposed  that  the  miracle  recorded  in 
this  chapter  would  be  sign  enough.  But  they  had 
been  fed  with  merely  ordinary  bread  ;  and  the 
Messiah,  according  to  popular  expectation,  was  to 
provide  food  from  heaven,  thus  repeating  the 
miracle  of  the  desert  manna  (v.  31). 

32,  33.  Again  an  effort  to  force  the  peoj)le's 
minds  to  higher  levels.  In  passing,  Jesus  tells 
them  that  even  the  desert  miracle  had  been 
wrought,  not  by  Moses,  but  by  God ;  and  He 
declares  that  the  true  heavenly  bread,  which 
had  not  been  given  in  the  desert,  was  given  now. 


96   Westminster  New  Testament 

34.  The  demand  only  shows  that  Christ's  words 
had  not  been  understood.  It  shows  no  spiritual 
craving.  It  was  still  a  physical  miracle  for  which 
they  longed. 

35.  This  may  be  called  the  key-verse  of  the 
discourse,  as  v.  26  was  of  the  previous  one.  It 
utters  the  great  truth  to  which  the  previous  sayings 
of  Jesus  have  been  leading  up.  The  declaration  of 
v.  32,  that  the  true  bread  is  given,  is  intensified 
into  the  declaration  that  Jesus  Himself  is  that 
true  bread.  Christ  Himself,  therefore,  not  merely 
something  that  Christ  brings,  is  what  man  must 
receive. 

36.  The  verse  must  refer  to  some  unrecorded 
saying  of  Jesus  in  the  conversation. 

37-40.  These  verses  probably  form  something 
like  a  soliloquy  of  Jesus,  perhaps  heard  by  the 
bystanders,  but  not  directly  addressed  to  them. 
When  they  again  speak  (v.  41),  it  is  to  v.  35  that 
they  reply. 

All  that  the  Father  giveth  me,  etc.  In  spite 
of  the  hostility  and  unbelief  of  those  standing  by, 
Jesus  was  certain  that  His  mission  could  not  fail. 
These  men  might  refuse  to  benefit  by  His  mission, 
but  they  could  not  prevent  those  who  followed 
God's  conditions,  and  who  were  therefore  "  given  " 
to  Jesus  by  the  Father,  from  receiving  His  gift. 
The  verse  lends  no  support  to  any  theory  of 
fatalism,  and  does  not  mean  that  a  select  number, 
chosen  by  God,  would  be  saved.  For  it  must  be 
read  in  the  light  of  v.  40,  which  declares  that  all 
who  will  to  believe  shall  live.  See  also  on  vv.  44 
and  45. 

Vv.  38  and  39  reveal  Christ's  conviction  that 
behind  His  mission  was  the  eternal  Will  of  God. 


St.  John  97 

This  could  not  be  defeated.  The  verses  repeat 
more  emphatically  the  statement  of  v.  37. 

41,  42.  A  change  of  temper  comes  upon  the 
Jews.  The  decisive  moment  was  come.  In  face 
of  Christ's  assertion  they  had  to  take  up  a  definite 
attitude.  And  so,  in  place  of  the  spirit  of  inquiry 
previously  displa3xd,  which,  if  not  free  from 
prejudice,  was  at  any  rate  something,  the  spirit  of 
avowed  hostility  awakes. 

43-45.  Jesus  makes  a  call  upon  them  for  self- 
examination.  Let  them,  instead  of  murmuring, 
see  whether  they  are  among  those  who  have 
"learned  of  the  Father"  (v.  45). 

Vv.  44  and  45  give  two  parts  of  one  idea.  None 
can  come  to  Jesus  except  under  the  drawing  of 
God  (v.  44),  but  all  have  been  taught  of  God 
(v.  45),  and  therefore  everyone  who  has  accepted 
the  teaching  comes  to  Jesus.  Again,  therefore, 
no  fatalistic  doctrine  is  implied.  These  men  could 
not  come,  simply  because  they  had  refused  to  be 
taught  and  drawn. 

46.  Not  that  any  man  hath  seen,  etc.  This 
qualifies  somewhat  the  utterance  of  v.  45  that 
all  have  been  taught  of  God.  It  is  not  through 
sight  that  the  lesson  has  been  given.  But  it  is 
through  sight  that  Jesus  Himself  knew  the 
Father. 

47.  Note  once  more  the  insistence  on  "ever- 
lasting life" — an  insistence  pronounced  throughout 
the  discourse. 

48-51.  These  verses  unite  the  two  leading  ideas 
— that  of  Jesus  as  the  Bread  of  Life,  and  that  of  the 
everlasting  character  of  the  life  received  through 
Him.  The  verses  gather  up  points  touched  upon 
in  the  preceding  conversation. 


98    Westminster  New  Testament 

my  flesh  (v.  51).  An  allusion  to  the  sacrifice 
on  the  Cross  which  Jesus  foresaw.  It  would  not 
be  understood  by  the  hearers ;  and  the  saying  is 
probably  again  in  the  nature  of  a  soUloquy,  a  com- 
muning of  Christ  with  Himself.     See  on  v.  63. 

52.  The  Jews  therefore  strove  among 
themselves.  The  words  of  Jesus  led  to  discussion 
and  disagreement  among  the  hearers.  Some  of 
them  would  doubtless  take  the  words  literally, 
while  others  would  seek  for  a  hidden  interpretation. 

53-56.  Without  giving  any  explanation,  Jesus 
repeats  and  insists  on  the  idea  which  has  disquieted 
them.  He  adds  now  the  conception  of  "  drinking 
His  blood/'  as  if  to  give  them  further  matter  for 
thought.  This  has  no  reference  to  the  Lord's 
Supper,  as  afterwards  instituted,  but  is  another 
allusion  to  the  impending  Cross.  It  was  by  the 
giving  of  Christ's  flesh  and  blood  upon  the  Cross 
that  Jesus  became  able  to  give  Himself  as  the 
Bread  of  Life  to  men  through  all  time. 

57.  Man  is  to  reproduce,  in  his  attitude  to 
Christ,  the  attitude  which  Christ  maintains  to  the 
Father.  Christ  takes  in  the  life  of  the  Father — 
man  takes  in  the  life  of  the  Christ — and  so  man, 
in  receiving  Christ,  receives  God  Himself. 


John  6.  60-71. 

THE  EFFECT  OF  THE  DISCOURSE  UPON 
SOME  OF  THE  DISCIPLES. 

60  Many    therefore    of    his    disciples,    when    they    had 
heard  this,  said.  This  is  an  hard  saying  ;  who  can 

61  hear   it  ?     When    Jesus   knew   in    himself   that   his 
disciples  murmured  at  it,  he  said  unto  them,  Doth 


St.   John  99 

62  this  offend  you  ?     What  and  if  ye  shall  see  the  Son 

6$  of  man  ascend  up  where  he  was  before  ?     It  is  the 

spirit  that  quickeneth  ;  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing  : 

the  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,   they  are  spirit, 

64  and  they  are  hfe.  But  there  are  some  of  you  that 
believe  not.  For  Jesus  knew  from  the  beginning 
who  they  were  that  beheved  not,  and  who  should 

65  betray  him.  And  he  said,  Therefore  said  I  unto 
you,  that  no  man  can  come  unto  me,  except  it  were 

66  given  unto  him  of  my  Father.  From  that  time 
many  of  his   disciples   went   back,    and   walked   no 

6y  more  with  him.     Then  said  Jesus  unto  the  twelve, 

68  Will  ye  also  go  away  ?  Then  Simon  Peter  answered 
him.   Lord,   to  whom  shall  we  go  ?   thou  hast   the 

69  words  of  eternal  Ufe.  And  we  beUeve  and  are  sure 
that  thou  art  that  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God. 

70  Jesus  answered  them,  Have  not  I  chosen  you  twelve, 

71  and  one  of  you  is  a  devil  ?  He  spake  of  Judas 
Iscariot  the  son  of  Simon  :  for  he  it  was  that  should 
betray  him,  being  one  of  the  twelve. 

The  discourse  of  Jesus  acted  as  a  test  and  as 
a  deciding  force,  not  only  upon  the  Jews  who  had 
been  merely  indifferent  or  hostile,  but  also  upon 
the  disciples  who  had  already  attached  themselves 
to  Jesus.  The  profounder  aspects  of  discipleship 
which  Jesus  was  unfolding  were  too  much  for  some 
of  them.  The  deeper  word  is  always  a  word  of 
judgment — a  word  which  divides  the  true-hearted 
from  the  shallow  and  the  false. 

60.  of  his  disciples.  Referring,  not  to  the 
"inner  circle/'  but  to  the  numbers  more  or  less 
loosely  attached  to  Jesus. 

an  hard  saying.  A  saying  hard  to  compre- 
hend— also  hard  in  that  it  made  life  depend  upon 
surrender  and  submission,  so  wounding  their  pride. 


loo  Westminster  New  Testament 

61-63.  Jesus  speaks  of  a  yet  more  wonderful 
thing  to  be^  as  He  had  done  in  5.  28.  V.  63 
affords  the  explanation.  He  has  been  speaking  of 
eating  His  fleshy  yet  He  now  says  that  it  is  His 
spirit  that  is  really  to  be  partaken  of,  and  His  use 
of  the  word  "  flesh  "  has  been  symbolic  only.  And 
in  order  that  men  might  partake  of  His  spirit.  His 
actual  life,  to  the  end  of  time.  He  was  to  ascend 
again  into  the  heaven  whence  He  had  come. 

64,  65.  A  sudden  drop  into  pathos.  Jesus  feels 
the  pity  of  His  rejection  by  these  people  flooding 
His  soul.  '^For  Jesus  knew,"  etc.,  is  of  course  a 
parenthesis  by  the  Evangelist. 

66-69-  Here  we  have  the  two  results  of  the 
discourse.  Some  went  back.  Peter,  speaking  for 
himself  and  others,  declared  his  adherence  to  Jesus. 
Peter  had,  doubtless,  only  partially  understood ; 
but  he  understood  enough  to  know  that  the  true 
message  was  given,  and  that  the  Speaker  was  the 
anointed  one  of  God. 

the  twelve.  John  has  nowhere  mentioned  the 
selection  of  the  apostles.  He  assumes  a  knowledge 
of  the  Synoptic  account. 

70,  71.  Again  a  drop  into  sadness  on  the  part 
of  Jesus  as  He  thinks  of  what  is  to  be.  There 
was  one  at  least  for  whom  Peter  was  not 
speaking. 


John  7.  1-13. 

JESUS  AND  HIS  BRETHREN. 

After  these  tilings  Jesus  walked  in  Galilee  :  for  he 

would  not  walk  in  Jewry,  because  the  Jews  sought 

2  to  kill  him.     Now   the   Jews'    feast   of   tabernacles 


St.  John  loi 


3  was  at  hand.  His  brethren  therefore  said  unto 
him,  Depart  hence,  and  go  into  Judaea,  that  thy 
disciples  also  may  see  the  works  that   thou  doest. 

4  For  there  is  no  man  that  doeth  any  thing  in  secret, 
and   he   himself   seeketh    to   be   known   openly.     If 

5  thou  do  these  things,  shew  thyself  to  the  world.     For 

6  neither  did  his  brethren  believe  in  him.  Then  Jesus 
said  unto  them,  My  time  is  not  yet  come  :  but  your 

7  time  is  alway  ready.  The  world  cannot  hate  you  ; 
but  me  it  hateth,  because  I  testify  of  it,  that  the 

8  works  thereof  are  evil.  Go  ye  up  unto  this  feast : 
I  go  not  up  yet  unto  this  feast  ;  for  my  time  is  not 

9  yet  full  come.     When  he  had  said  these  words  unto 
ID  them,    he    abode    still    in    Galilee.     But    when    his 

brethren  were  gone  up,  then  went  he  also  up  unto 

1 1  the  feast,  not  openly,  but  as  it  were  in  secret.  Then 
the  Jews  sought  him  at  the  feast,  and  said,  Where  is 

12  he  ?  And  there  was  much  murmuring  among  the 
people  concerning  him  :  for  some  said.  He  is  a  good 
man  :  others  said,  Nay  ;  but  he  deceiveth  the  people. 

13  Howbeit  no  man  spake  openly  of  him  for  fear  of  the 
Jews. 

This  entire  chapter  leads  up  to  the  declaration 
in  V.  37 — the  verse  in  which  Jesus  speaks  of 
Himself  as  having  the  living  water.  John  has 
shown  us  Jesus  claiming  to  have  ^^life  in  Himself" 
(chapter  .5)^  as  claiming  to  be  the  Bread  of  Life 
(chapter  6),  and  now  he  is  to  show  us  Jesus  pro- 
claiming the  same  conception  in  yet  another  way. 
To  preserve  the  historical  continuity,  however, 
the  Evangelist  recalls  some  of  the  incidents  leading 
up  to  the  occasion  on  which  the  declaration  was 
made. 

The  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  round  which  the 
incidents  of  this  chapter  are  grouped,  was  the  feast 


I02  Westminster  New  Testament 

commemorative  of  Israel's  sojourn  in  the  desert. 
For  seven  days  the  people  lived  in  tents,  recalling 
the  desert  homelessness — on  the  last  day  they 
went  ^^ every  man  mito  his  own  house"  (v.  53), 
symbolising  the  taking  possession  of  the  promised 
land.  See  also  below,  as  to  the  last  day  of  the 
feast. 

This  particular  section  is  preliminary,  showing 
some  of  the  events  that  took  place  before  Jesus 
went  up  to  Jerusalem. 

1.  Jesus  walked  in  Galilee.  As  the  events 
of  chapter  5  had  taken  place  about  the  time  of  the 
Passover  (6.  4),  and  those  of  this  chapter  take 
place  at  the  time  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  the 
period  during  which  Jesus  ^^ walked  in  Galilee" 
was  about  six  months — April  to  October. 

2.  feast  of  tabernacles.  See  above.  This, 
with  Passover  and  Pentecost,  formed  the  three 
great  feasts,  when  every  male  was  expected  to 
present  himself  before  the  Lord  in  the  city. 

3-5.  His  brethren.  See  on  2.  12.  The 
tradition  of  antiquity  is  that  they  were  Joseph's 
children  by  a  former  marriage. 

thy  disciples.  Referring  to  the  numbers 
more  or  less  loosely  attached  to  Jesus,  or  favour- 
able to  Him  and  His  work. 

The  mood  of  the  brethren  of  Jesus  was  at  the 
least  sceptical,  if  not  actually  hostile.  They 
pressed  Jesus  to  prove  His  claims  by  appearing  as 
the  Messiah  in  the  capital,  and  overbearing  all 
opposition  by  a  display  of  His  power.  Then  they 
would  believe.  Jesus  must  make  a  more  sensa- 
tional impression  before  they  would  yield. 

6-8.  The  meaning  of  the  reply  is  that,  while 
the  brethren,  being  at  one  with  the  world,  could 


St.  John  103 

go  up  to  the  city  without  fear,  Jesus  Himself, 
being  of  a  different  spirit,  had  incurred  and  would 
still  incur  the  hatred  of  the  world.  Messiahship, 
as  He  understood  it,  would  not  be  acceptable  to 
the  crowd.  And  His  time  for  creating  the  final 
crisis  was  not  yet  come.  In  "  I  go  not  up  yet  unto 
this  feast,"  this  is  emphatic.  Not  at  this  one, 
but  at  another,  would  Jesus  declare  Himself  as 
Messiah. 

10.  in  secret.  Jesus  went  to  the  feast,  not 
to  make  the  declaration  for  which  His  brethren 
asked,  but  in  a  more  private  fashion.  There  had 
been  no  change  of  purpose.  He  carried  out  His 
own  original  plan.  And  although  He  afterwards 
spoke  amid  the  multitudes.  He  did  not  follow  the 
line  which  the  brethren  had  marked  out. 

1 1-13.  There  is  a  good  deal  implied  in  this.  The 
people  must  have  been  deeply  stirred  in  regard  to 
Jesus ;  and  behind  these  few  phrases  one  discerns 
how  profound  an  impression  had  been  made. 


John  7.  14-31. 
JESUS  IN  CONTROVERSY  AT  JERUSALEM. 

14  Now  about  the  midst  of  the  feast  Jesus  went  up 

15  into  the  temple,  and  taught.     And  the  Jews  mar- 
velled,   saying.    How    knoweth    this    man    letters, 

16  having  never  learned  ?     Jesus  answered  them,  and 
said.  My  doctrine  is  not  mine,  but  his  that  sent  me. 

17  If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the 
doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak 

18  of  myself.     He  that  speaketh  of  himself  seeketh  his 
own  glory  :  but  he  that  seeketh  his  glory  that  sent 


I04  Westminster  New  Testament 

him,  the  same  is  true,  and  no  unrighteousness  is  in 

19  him.  Did  not  Moses  give  you  the  law,  and  yet 
none  of  you  keepeth  the  law  ?     Why  go  ye  about  to 

20  kill    me  ?     The    people    answered    and    said,    Thou 

21  hast  a  devil  :  who  goeth  about  to  kill  thee  ?  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  I  have  done  one  work, 

22  and  ye  all  marvel.  Moses  therefore  gave  unto  you 
circumcision  ;  (not  because  it  is  of  Moses,  but  of 
the  fathers  ;)  and  ye  on  the  sabbath  day  circumcise 

23  a  man.  If  a  man  on  the  sabbath  day  receive  cir- 
cumcision, that  the  law  of  Moses  should  not  be 
broken  ;  are  ye  angry  at  me,  because  I  have  made 

24  a  man  every  whit  whole  on  the  sabbath  day  ?  Judge 
not  according  to  the  appearance,  but  judge  righteous 

25  judgment.     Then  said  some  of  them  of  Jerusalem, 

26  Is  not  this  he,  whom  they  seek  to  kill  ?  But,  lo, 
he  speaketh  boldly,  and  they  say  nothing  unto  him. 
Do   the  rulers   know  indeed   that    this  is   the  very 

27  Christ  ?  Howbeit  we  know  this  man  whence  he 
is  :    but    when    Christ    cometh,    no    man    knoweth 

28  whence  he  is.  Then  cried  Jesus  in  the  temple  as  he 
taught,  saying.  Ye  both  know  me,  and  ye  know 
whence  I  am  :  and  I  am  not  come  of  myself,  but  he 

29  that  sent  me  is  true,  whom  ye  know  not.  But  I 
know  him  :  for  I  am  from  him,  and  he  hath  sent  me. 

30  Then  they  sought  to  take  him  :  but  no  man  laid 
hands  on  him,  because  his  hour  was  not  yet  come. 

31  And  many  of  the  people  believed  on  him,  and  said, 
When  Christ  cometh,  will  he  do  more  miracles  than 
these  which  this  man  hath  done  ? 

This  section  contains  some  further  preliminaries 
to  the  central  declaration  of  v.  37.  But  its  con- 
tents of  course  possess  a  great  intrinsic  interest, 
both  because  they  help  us  to  realise  the  atmosphere 
of  controversy  by  which  the  city  was  overhung, 
and  because  of  tlie  utterances  of  Jesus  they  report. 


St.  John  105 

14.  and  taught.  Not,  however,  proclaiming 
His  Messiahship,  as  His  brethren  had  desired. 
Yet  it  was  inevitable  that  the  thought  of  the 
people  should  presently  turn  in  that  direction,  as 
it  did.     (See  vv.  26  and  31.) 

1 5.  The  question  does  not  imply  that  Jesus  had 
not  received  the  ordinary  education  of  a  Jewish 
child,  but  that  He  had  not  been  trained  in  any 
Rabbinical  school. 

16-19.  Jesus  claims,  in  reply,  that  His  wisdom 
has  a  higher  source  than  the  schools  (v.  I6). 
And  this  would  be  proved  by  any  who  attempted 
to  carry  out  God's  will  as  Jesus  taught  it  (v.  17). 
V.  18  implies  a  contrast  between  Jesus  and  the 
ecclesiastical  teachers  and  authorities  of  the  time, 
since  they  thought  first  and  foremost  of  their  own 
position  in  all  they  did.  In  v.  19  Jesus  accuses 
the  people  as  a  whole  of  disobeying  the  law  of  that 
Moses  whom  they  professed  to  revere.  That  is, 
they  did  not  seek  the  glory  of  the  Moses  by  whom 
they  claimed  to  have  been  "  sent."  Their  hatred 
of  Him — Jesus — was  in  itself  a  proof  of  their 
disobedience  (see  5.  46). 

20.  The  people,  not  knowing  how  far  the 
opposition  of  the  rulers  to  Jesus  had  gone,  think 
the  accusation  of  contemplated  murder  absurd. 
But  Jesus  knew  that  they  would  identify  them- 
selves at  last  with  the  plans  of  the  authorities. 

21.  Jesus  reminds  them  of  their  feeling  towards 
Him  at  the  time  of  the  healing  of  the  impotent 
man  (chapter  5).  This  was  the  beginning  of  a 
hatred  which  would  go  to  greater  lengths  by  and 
by.  "  Marvel  "  means  more  than  wonder — it  means 
wonder  tinged  with  disHke. 

22-21<.  Jesus  returns  to  the  charge  of  sabbath- 


io6  Westminster  New  Testament 

breaking,  which  had  been  brought  against  Him 
when  the  previous  miracle  was  wrought.  The 
Jews  themselves,  He  says,  break  the  sabbath  when 
the  ordinance  of  circumcision  requires  it — why 
should  not  He  break  it  for  the  sake  of  doing  good  ? 

therefore  (v.  22).  This  really  belongs  to  the 
parenthesis,  "not  because  it  is  of  Moses,"  etc. 
Incidentally,  Jesus  remarks  that  circumcision  was 
of  patriarchal  origin,  and  Moses  "therefore" 
perpetuated  it. 

25,  26.  The  people  are  surprised  that  the  rulers, 
who  had  hated  Jesus,  do  not  check  Him.  They 
begin  to  ask  whether  the  rulers  have  changed 
their  minds,  and  now  believe  in  the  claims  of 
Jesus.  It  was  questionings  such  as  these,  among 
other  things,  that  moved  the  Pharisees  to  greater 
activity  (v.  32). 

27.  The  reference  is  probably  to  a  current  idea 
that  the  coming  of  the  Messiah  would  be  altogether 
mysterious. 

28.  and  I  am  not  come.  The  "and"  is 
really  equivalent  to  "  nevertheless " — a  common 
usage  in  John.  "  Ye  know  whence  I  am,  and 
yet  I  am  not  come  whence  you  think." 

29.  But  I  know  him.  The  assertion  which  in 
one  way  or  another  Jesus  was  always  making  in 
face  of  the  hostile  Jews,  the  assertion  of  perfect 
oneness  with  God. 

30.  31.  The  two  verses  indicate  a  division  among 
the  hearers.  Some  would  have  arrested  Jesus,  but 
others  believed.  The  question  in  v.  31  expects  a 
negative  reply.  The  believers  did  not  fully  take 
Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  for  He  had  not  on  this  occasion 
so  proclaimed  Himself,  but  they  felt  that  even  the 
Messiah  could  do  no  more  than  Jesus  had  done. 


St.  John  107 


John  7.  32-52. 

THE  LAST  DAY  OF  THE  FEAST  :  JESUS 
AND  THE  LIVING  WATER. 

32  The  Pharisees  heard  that  the  people  murmured 
such  things  concerning  him  ;    and  the  Pharisees  and 

23  the  chief  priests  sent  officers  to  take  him.  Then 
said  Jesus  unto  them,  Yet  a  little  while  am  I  with 

34  you,  and  then  I  go  unto  him  that  sent  me.  Ye 
shall  seek  me,  and  shall  not  find  me  :  and  where  I 

35  am,  thither  ye  cannot  come.  Then  said  the  Jews 
among  themselves.  Whither  will  he  go,  that  we  shall 
not  find  him  ?  will  he  go  unto  the  dispersed  among 

S6  the  Gentiles,  and  teach  the  Gentiles  ?  What  manner 
of  saying  is  this  that  he  said,  Ye  shall  seek  me,  and 
shall  not  find  me  :  and  where  I  am,  thither  ye  cannot 

37  come  ?  In  the  last  day,  that  great  day  of  the  feast, 
Jesus  stood  and  cried,   saying,   If  any  man  thirst, 

38  let  him  come  unto  me,  and  drink.  He  that  believeth 
on  me,  as  the  scripture  hath  said,  out  of  his  belly 

39  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water.  (But  this  spake 
he  of  the  Spirit,  which  they  that  believe  on  him 
should  receive  :  for  the  Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet 
given  :   because   that   Jesus  was  not   yet   glorified.) 

40  Many  of  the  people  therefore,  when  they  heard  this 

41  saying,  said,  Of  a  truth  this  is  the  Prophet.  Others 
said.  This  is  the  Christ.     But  some  said,  Shall  Christ 

42  come  out  of  Galilee  ?  Hath  not  the  scripture  said. 
That  Christ  cometh  of  the  seed  of  David,  and  out  of 

43  the  town  of  Bethlehem,  where  David  was  ?  So 
there  was  a  division  among  the  people  because  of 

44  him.     And  some  of  them  would  have  taken  him  ; 

45  but  no  man  laid  hands  on  him.  Then  came  the 
officers  to  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  ;  and  they 

46  said  unto  them,  Why  have  ye  not  brought  him  ?     The 


io8  Westminster  New  Testament 

officers  answered,  Never  man  spake  like  this  man. 

47  Then    answered    them    the    Pharisees,    Are   ye    also 

48  deceived  ?     Have  any  of  the  rulers  or  of  the  Phari- 

49  sees  beUeved  on  him  ?     But  this  people  who  knoweth 

50  not  the  law  are  cursed.  Nicodemus  saith  unto 
them,  (he  that  came  to  Jesus  by  night,  being  one  of 

51  them,)  Doth  our  law  judge  any  man,  before  it  hear 

52  him,  and  know  what  he  doeth  ?  They  answered 
and  said  unto  him.  Art  thou  also  of  Galilee  ?  Search, 
and  look  :  for  out  of  Galilee  ariseth  no  prophet. 

As  stated  before,  this  section  contains  the  great 
declaration  to  which  all  the  preceding  portions  of 
the  chapter  have  been  leading  up.  Jesus  declares 
Himself  to  possess  the  "  living  water " — thus 
repeating  that  manifestation  of  His  inner  con- 
sciousness which  He  has  given  in  speaking  of 
Himself  as  having  life  in  Himself  and  as  the 
living  Bread.  In  Himself — not  alone  in  His 
teaching — lies  the  secret  of  life ;  and  the  constant 
implication  is  that  man's  personality  must  actually 
attach  itself  to  Christ's  if  it  would  be  perfected. 
Thus,  by  presenting  these  successive  ideas,  does 
the  Evangelist  cause  his  pages  to  show  the  view  of 
Himself  and  of  His  mission  which  Jesus  entertained. 

The  record  of  the  happenings  on  the  last  day 
must  be  taken  as  beginning  with  v.  32,  although 
the  day  is  not  mentioned  until  v.  ?>!.  For  the 
officers  are  sent  in  v.  37,  and  their  return  is 
mentioned  in  v.  45 — clearly  on  the  last  day. 
This  last  day  of  the  feast  was  really  an  addition 
to  the  feast  itself,  and  was  kept  as  a  sabbath. 
Moreover,  on  this  last  day  the  words  of  Jesus,  in 
offering  the  living  water,  would  have  a  very  special 
significance.  On  the  previous  days,  water  was 
drawn  in  a  golden  vessel  from  the  pool  of  Siloam, 


St.  John  109 

and  poured  forth  in  the  Temple,  in  remembrance 
of  the  coming  of  water  from  the  rock  in  the  desert. 
But  on  the  last  day  this  rite  was  omitted,  as  that 
day  commemorated  the  entrance  into  the  promised 
land  with  its  many  streams.  And  still  further,  it 
was  an  article  of  popular  belief  that  at  the  coming 
of  the  Messiah  a  miraculous  fountain  would  spring 
up  within  the  Temple  courts.  These  things  being 
in  the  minds  of  the  people,  the  words  of  Jesus 
would  point  towards  a  Messianic  claim,  even 
though  the  claim  is  not  definitely  made. 

32.  This  is  the  Pharisees'  first  definitely  hostile 
act,  as  distinguished  from  hostile  words.  The 
"  chief  priests "  include  those  who  have  held  the 
chief-priestly  office,  and  those  of  their  relatives 
who  belonged  to  the  Sanhedrin. 

33.  Yet  a  little  while.  It  was  six  months  to 
His  death.  The  prescience  of  Jesus  enables  Him 
to  foresee  the  end  of  the  movement  now  begun. 

34.  Probably  a  prophetic  reference  to  the 
repentance  which  would  come  upon  them  in  the 
later  times  of  distress,  when  their  mistaken  ideas 
of  national  destiny  should  have  led  them  to 
disaster. 

35.  the   dispersed    among   the    Gentiles. 

This  was  the  customary  way  of  describing  the  Jews 
scattered  among  the  non-Jewish  nations.  The 
remark  is  intended  to  be  ironical.  The  idea  of 
preaching  to  the  Gentiles  appears  to  the  speakers 
to  be  absurd,  although  their  words  really  form  an 
unconscious  prophecy  of  what  was  to  take  place  in 
the  spread  of  Christianity  over  the  world.  Evi- 
dently they  had  failed  to  understand  the  words 
of  Jesus  in  v.  34,  and  were  thinking  of  a  dis- 
appearance of  Jesus,  while  still  alive,  from  the  city. 


no  Westminster  New  Testament 

37,  38.  In  the  last  day,  etc.     See  above. 

If  any  man  thirst,  etc.  This  is  the  salient 
and  central  conception.  Once  again,  Jesus  pro- 
claims Himself  as  the  actual  Source  of  life  to  those 
who  identify  themselves  with  Him. 

39.  Writing  from  his  later  standpoint,  the 
Evangelist  sees  how^  the  death  of  Jesus,  so  far  from 
being  a  hindrance  to  His  life-giving  ministry,  had 
really  been  a  help.  The  verse  carries  us  back  in 
a  manner  to  6.  63,  in  which  Jesus  Himself  speaks 
of  the  spiritual  ministry  that  was  to  follow  upon 
His  death.  The  Spirit,  which  is  the  continued 
presence  of  Jesus  in  the  world,  began  its  work 
when  the  local  restrictions  inseparable  from  a 
physical  existence  upon  earth  were  removed. 

40-44.  Diiferent  impressions  produced  by  the 
words  of  Jesus.  Some  went  as  far  as  to  hold  Him 
as  "that  Prophet,"  and  some  went  further  still. 
But  others,  thinking  Jesus  to  be  a  Galilaean,  and 
not  being  aware  that  He  was  really  born  in 
Bethlehem  (a  fact  which  the  Evangelist  does  not 
think  it  necessary  to  assert,  since  all  his  readers 
would  know  it),  objected.  Yet  there  were  enough 
favourable  to  Jesus  to  prevent  any  actual  molesta- 
tion. 

45,  46.  The  impression  made  upon  the  officers 
shows  how  great  must  have  been  the  majesty  of 
Jesus'  presence  and  words. 

47-49.  The  Pharisees  reply  to  the  officers  that 
they  should  not  think  for  themselves,  but  follow 
the  example  of  the  chiefs  (v.  48).  The  contempt 
for  the  people  implied  in  v.  49  is  characteristic 
of  the  Pharisees,  who  habitually  spoke  of  the  multi- 
tudes as  "  vermin." 

who  knoweth  not  the  law.     Meaning  that 


St.  John  III 

they  did  not  know  the  Rabbinical  interpretations 
and  expansions  of  the  law,  as  taught  in  the 
schools. 

50-52.  Nicodemus  endeavours  to  put  in  a  word 
asking  for  at  least  fair  play  and  a  hearing.  There 
is  no  direct  reply  from  the  Pharisees.  Instead  of 
replying,  they  taunt  Nicodemus  with  being  himself 
of  Galilaean  leanings,  and  make  the  manifestly 
false  statement  that  "out  of  Galilee  ariseth  no 
prophet."  Jonah  and  Elijah  at  least  were  of 
Galilee.  It  has  been  suggested,  however,  that 
the  reference  is  still  to  "that  Prophet,"  and  that 
it  was  not  out  of  Galilee  he,  in  particular,  was 
looked  for. 


John  7.  53-8.  II. 
THE  WOMAN  TAKEN  IN  SIN. 

53  And  every  man  went  unto  his  own  house.     Jesus 

2  went  unto  the  mount  of  Olives.  And  early  in  the 
morning  he  came  again  into  the  temple,  and  all  the 
people    came    unto   him  ;     and    he    sat    down,    and 

3  taught  them.  And  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  brought 
unto  him  a  woman  taken  in  adultery  ;  and  when  they 

4  had  set  her  in  the  midst,  they  say  unto  him,  Master, 
this  woman  was  taken  in  adultery,  in  the  very  act. 

5  Now  Moses  in   the  law  commanded   us,    that   such 

6  should  be  stoned  :  but  what  sayest  thou  ?  This 
they  said,  tempting  him,  that  they  might  have  to 
accuse  him.  But  Jesus  stooped  down,  and  with 
his  finger  wrote  on  the  ground,  as  though  he  heard 

7  them  not.  So  when  they  continued  asking  him, 
he  Ufted  up  himself,  and  said  unto  them.  He  that 
is  mthout  sin  among  you,  let  him  first  cast  a  stone 


112  Westminster  New  Testament 

8  at   her.     And   again    he   stooped   down,    and   wrote 

9  on  the  ground.  And  they  which  heard  it,  being 
convicted  by  their  own  conscience,  went  out  one  by 
one,  beginning  at  the  eldest,  even  unto  the  last  :  and 
Jesus  was  left  alone,  and  the  woman  standing  in  the 

ID  midst.  When  Jesus  had  lifted  up  himself,  and  saw 
none  but  the  woman,  he  said  unto  her,  Woman, 
where  are  those  thine  accusers  ?  hath  no  man  con- 

II  demned  thee  ?  She  said.  No  man.  Lord.  And  Jesus 
said  unto  her,  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee  :  go,  and 
sin  no  more. 

The  last  verse  of  the  seventh  chapter  clearly 
belongs  to  this  section.  The  point  is  that  while 
every  man  went  to  his  own  house,  Jesus,  on  the 
contrary,  having  not  where  to  lay  His  head,  went 
to  the  Mount  of  Olives.  It  is  practically  certain, 
however,  that  the  whole  section  is  an  interpolation. 
It  does  not  occur  in  the  oldest  manuscripts :  in 
some  points  the  style  is  more  like  that  of  the 
synoptic  Gospels  than  that  of  John  :  the  Mount 
of  Olives  is  not  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this 
Gospel ;  and  the  title  "  scribes  and  Pharisees " 
(v.  3)  is  not  employed  by  John,  though  it  is  by 
the  Synoptists,  to  describe  the  enemies  of  Jesus. 
Moreover,  the  narrative  contained  in  the  section 
interrupts  the  main  run  of  the  history  and  does  not 
further  the  Evangelist's  main  purpose  ;  and  8.  12 
follows  naturally  upon  7.  52.  Some  versions 
place  the  incident  after  Luke  2L  37.  On  the 
whole,  the  evidence  against  the  section  is  over- 
whelming ;  though  it  must  be  said,  finally,  that  to 
pronounce  against  its  insertion  does  not  mean  that 
the  incident  did  not  take  place. 

4-6.  The  questioners  Mere  trying  to  put  Jesus 
on  the  horns  of  a  dilemma.     If  He  assented  to  the 


St.  John  113 

infliction  of  the  sentence.  He  might  seem  to 
infringe  the  prerogative  of  the  civil  authorities, 
while  if  He  did  not,  He  would  be  putting  Him- 
self into  conflict  with  the  law  of  Moses.  See  Deut. 
22.  22-24. 

7.  the  first  stone.  See  Deut.  17.  7  as  to  the 
duty  of  the  witness  to  cast  the  first  stone. 

8,  9.  Evidently  this  was  one  of  the  many  occa- 
sions on  which  the  moral  grandeur  of  Jesus  silenced 
and  awed  His  foes. 

in  the  midst.  Probably  the  crowd  which  had 
come  in  with  the  woman  and  her  accusers  remained 
to  see  the  end. 

10,  11.  Jesus  does  not  pronounce  forgiveness, 
as  apparently  the  woman  made  no  confession  or 
appeal.  She  is,  so  to  say,  dismissed  with  a  warning 
and  with  another  chance. 


John  8.  12-20. 
JESUS  THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 

12  Then  spake  Jesus  again  unto  them,  saying,  I  am 
the  light  of  the  world  :  he  that  foUoweth  me  shall 
not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  Ufe. 

13  The  Pharisees  therefore  said  unto  him.  Thou  bearest 

14  record  of  thyself  ;  thy  record  is  not  true.  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  Though  I  bear  record 
of  myself,  yet  my  record  is  true  :  for  I  know  whence 
I  came,  and  whither  I  go  ;  but  ye  cannot  tell  whence  I 

15  come,  and  whither  I  go.     Ye  judge  after  the  flesh  ; 

16  I  judge  no  man.  And  yet  if  I  judge,  my  judgment 
is  true  :  for  I  am  not  alone,  but  I  and  the  Father 

17  that  sent  me.     It  is  also  written  in  your  law,  that 

8 


114  Westminster  New  Testament 

1 8  the  testimony  of  two  men  is  true,  I  am  one  that 
bear  witness  of  myself,  and  the  Father  that  sent  me 

19  beareth  witness  of  me.  Then  said  they  unto  him, 
Where  is  thy  Father  ?  Jesus  answered,  Ye  neither 
know  me,  nor  my  Father  :  if  ye  had  known  me,  ye 

20  should  have  known  my  Father  also.  These  words 
spake  Jesus  in  the  treasury,  as  he  taught  in  the 
temple  :  and  no  man  laid  hands  on  him  ;  for  his 
hour  was  not  yet  come. 

Ill  the  evolution  of  John's  main  purpose  chap- 
ters 8  and  9  together  form  one  hnk.  That 
main  purpose,  it  will  be  remembered,  is  to  give 
such  a  revelation  of  the  words  and  acts  of  Jesus 
that  He  shall  be  recognised  as  the  Son  of  God ; 
and  in  this  particular  section  (5.  1-10,  18)  the 
Evangelist  is  allowing  Christ's  self-consciousness  to 
speak  for  itself  The  present  declaration  that  He 
is  the  Light  of  the  world,  which  Jesus  here  makes, 
connects  with  the  previously  recorded  declarations 
as  to  "  life  in  Himself,"  and  the  rest,  which  have 
already  been  reviewed.  Just  as  the  kindling  of 
the  light  dispels  the  darkness,  so  the  bringing  of 
Jesus  into  human  nature,  or  the  identification 
of  human  nature  with  Jesus,  brings  in  life  instead 
of  the  spiritual  lifelessness  which  has  prevailed 
before.  In  8.  12  we  find  one  declaration;  and  the 
whole  of  chapter  9  (besides  the  specific  announce- 
ment in  9.  .^)  circles  round  the  same  idea.  Jesus  has 
simply  to  sliine  Himself  into  man — and  man  lives. 

The  present  metaphor  differs  from  the  others  in 
that  it  at  once  suggests  the  question  of  sin,  since 
the  mention  of  light  inevitably  suggests  darkness. 
As  the  Light  of  the  world,  therefore,  Jesus  is 
sufficient  for  the  moral  ills  whereby  human  nature 
is  beset. 


St.  John  115 

12.  Then  spake  Jesus,  etc.    "Then"  goes 

back  to  chapter  7.     This  also  belongs  to  the  last 
clay  of  the  feast. 

I  am  the  light  of  the  world.  As  with  the 
previous  declaration  concerning  the  living  water, 
so  with  this,  there  is  a  reference  to  the  ritual  of 
the  feast.  At  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  lamps 
were  kindled  in  the  Temple  (in  the  court  of  the 
women,  in  which  was  the  treasury — v.  20)  to 
commemorate  the  Pillar  of  Fire  which  had  guided 
the  people's  desert  steps. 

13.  The  Pharisees  make  no  direct  reply  to  the 
claim.  This  objection  is  a  purely  technical  one — 
not  above  the  status  of  a  quibble. 

14.  Jesus  can  bear  witness  of  Himself,  inasmuch 
as  His  consciousness  of  His  divine  origin  and  His 
divine  fellowship  is  assured. 

15.  I  judge  no  man.  "That  is  not  My 
primary  or  My  present  work."  Compare,  however, 
5.  27.  A  judgment,  indeed,  is  inevitable,  since 
men  judge  themselves  when  they  come  into  presence 
of  Jesus  (3.  18). 

16.  And  yet  if  I  judge.  The  "  I  "  is  emphatic. 
/,  differing  from  you,  judge  righteous  judgment 
if  I  judge.  And  for  the  reason  of  this,  Jesus 
again  makes  the  great  claim  of  absolute  oneness 
with  God. 

11,  18.  Note  the  insistence  with  which  Jesus  here 
presses  the  matter — as  frequently  in  this  Gospel. 
He  is,  in  a  manner,  challenging  His  foes.  For  the 
Old  Testament  reference,  see  Deut.  I9.  15. 

19.  The  question  of  the  Pharisees  is  of  coui'se 
put  in  scorn.  In  answer,  Jesus  declares  that  if 
they  had  known  Him — really  known  Him — they 
would  have  seen  God  in  Him. 


ii6  Westminster  New  Testament 

20.  the  treasury.  See  on  v.  12.  The  treasury 
contained  thirteen  receptacles  (called  "  trumpets/' 
from  their  shape)  for  gifts. 


John  8.  21-59. 

THE  DISCOURSE  ON  TRUTH  AND 
FREEDOM. 

21  Then  said  Jesus  again  unto  them,  I  go  my  way,  and 
ye  shall  seek  me,  and  shall  die  in  your  sins  :  whither 

22  I  go,  ye  cannot  come.  Then  said  the  Jews,  Will 
he   kill   himself  ?    because  he   saith,  Wliither   I    go, 

23  ye  cannot  come.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Ye  are 
from  beneath ;   I   am   from  above :   ye   are  of  this 

24  world  ;  I  am  not  of  this  world.  I  said  therefore 
unto  you,  that  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins  :  for  if 
ye  believe  not  that  I  am  he,  ye  shall  die  in  your 

25  sins.  Then  said  they  unto  him.  Who  art  thou  ? 
And  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Even  the  same  that  I 

26  said  unto  you  from  the  beginning.  I  have  many 
things  to  say  and  to  judge  of  you  :  but  he  that  sent 
me  is  true  ;  and  I  speak  to  the  world  those  things 

27  which  I  have  heard  of  him.     They  understood  not 

28  that  he  spake  to  them  of  the  Father.  Then  said 
Jesus  unto  them.  When  ye  have  Hfted  up  the  Son  of 
man,  then  shall  ye  know  that  I  am  he,  and  that  I 
do  nothing  of  myself  ;  but  as  my  Father  hath  taught 

29  me,  I  speak  these  things.  And  he  that  sent  me  is 
with  me  :  the  Father  hath  not  left  me  alone  ;  for  I  do 

30  always  those  things  that  please  him.     As  he  spake 

31  these  words,  many  believed  on  him.  Then  said 
Jesus  to  those  Jews  which  beheved  on  him.  If  ye 
continue  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  my  disciples  indeed  ; 

32  and  ye  shall  know  the   truth,  and  the  truth  shall 


St.  John  117 

^^  make  you  free.  They  answered  him,  We  be  Abra- 
ham's seed,  and  were  never  m  bondage  to  any  man  : 

34  how  sayest  thou,  Ye  shall  be  made  free  ?  Jesus 
answered    them,    Verily,    verily,    I    say    unto    you, 

35  Whosoever  committeth  sin  is  the  servant  of  sin.  And 
the  servant  abideth  not  in  the  house  for  ever  :  but 

36  the   Son   abideth   ever.     If   the   Son   therefore  shall 
^7  make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free  indeed.     I  know  that 

ye   are   Abraham's   seed  ;   but   ye   seek   to   kill   me, 

38  because  my  word  hath  no  place  in  you.  I  speak 
that  which  I  have  seen  with  my  Father  :  and  ye  do 

39  that  which  ye  have  seen  with  your  father.  They 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  Abraham  is  our  father. 
Jesus  saith  unto  them.  If  ye  were  Abraham's  children, 

40  ye  would  do  the  works  of  Abraham.  But  now  ye 
seek  to  kill  me,  a  man  that  hath  told  you  the  truth, 
which  I  have  heard  of  God  :  this  did  not  Abraham. 

41  Ye  do  the  deeds  of  your  father.  Then  said  they  to 
him.  We  be  not  born  of  fornication  ;  we  have  one 

42  Father,  even  God.  Jesus  said  unto  them,  If  God 
were  your  Father,  ye  would  love  me  :  for  I  proceeded 
forth  and  came  from  God  ;  neither  came  I  of  myself, 

43  but  he  sent  me.     Why  do  ye  not   understand  my 

44  speech  ?  even  because  ye  cannot  hear  my  word.  Ye 
are  of  your  father  the  devil,  and  the  lusts  of  your 
father  ye  will  do.  He  was  a  murderer  from  the 
beginning,  and  abode  not  in  the  truth,  because 
there  is  no  truth  in  him.  When  he  speaketh  a  he, 
he  speaketh  of  his  own  :  for  he  is  a  Uar,  and  the  father 

45  of  it.     And  because  I  tell  you  the  truth,  ye  believe 

46  me  not.  Which  of  you  convinceth  me  of  sin  ? 
And  if  I  say  the  truth,  why  do  ye  not  believe  me  ? 

47  He  that  is  of  God  heareth  God's  words  :  ye  therefore 

48  hear  them  not,  because  ye  are  not  of  God.  Then 
answered  the  Jews,  and  said  unto  him.  Say  we  not 
well  that  thou  art  a  Samaritan,  and  hast  a  devil  ? 

49  Jesus  answered,  I  have  not  a  devil ;  but  I  honour  my 


ii8  Westminster  New  Testament 

50  Father,  and  ye  do  dishonour  me.  And  I  seek  not 
mine    own    glory  :    there   is    one    that    seeketh    and 

51  judgeth.     Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  If  a  man 

52  keep  my  saying,  he  shall  never  see  death.  Then  said 
the  Jews  unto  him,  Now  we  know  that  thou  hast  a 
devil.  Abraham  is  dead,  and  the  prophets  ;  and  thou 
sayest.  If  a  man  keep  my  saying,  he  shall  never  taste 

53  of  death.  Art  thou  greater  than  our  father  Abra- 
ham, which  is  dead  ?   and  the  prophets  are  dead  : 

54  whom  makest  thou  thyself  ?  Jesus  answered.  If  I 
honour  myself,  my  honour  is  nothing  :  it  is  my  Father 
that  honoureth  me  ;    of  whom  ye  say,   that  he  is 

5  5  your  God  :  yet  ye  have  not  known  him  ;  but  I  know 
him  :  and  if  I  should  say,  I  know  him  not,  I  shall  be 
a  liar  like  unto  you  :  but  I  know  him,  and  keep  his 

56  saying.     Your  father  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  my 

57  day  :  and  he  saw  it,  and  was  glad.  Then  said  the 
Jews  unto  him.  Thou   art  not   yet   fifty  years  old, 

58  and  hast  thou  seen  Abraham  ?  Jesus  said  unto 
them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Before  Abraham 

59  was,  I  am.  Then  took  they  up  stones  to  cast  at 
him  :  but  Jesus  hid  himself,  and  went  out  of  the 
temple,  going  through  the  midst  of  them,  and  so 
passed  by. 

The  discourse  contained  in  this  section  circles 
round  the  central  idea  of  truth  (see  vv.  32,  40,  45, 
46,  etc.)  as  brought  to  men  in  Jesus.  With  this  is 
conjoined  the  idea  of  freedom  (v.  32  etc.)  as 
resulting  from  the  possession  of  the  truth.  Light 
is  of  course  the  symbol  of  truth,  as  darkness  is  of 
error  ;  and  it  is  therefore  natural  that,  having 
announced  Himself  as  the  Light  of  the  world, 
Jesus  should  go  on  to  speak  of  truth  as  being 
given  in  Him  and  in  His  word.  There  is  no  break 
in  the  thought,  although  for  the  time  being  the 


St.  John  119 

conception  of  light  drops  out.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered, also,  that  by  truth  Jesus  means  more  than 
intellectual  correctness,  and  by  freedom  more  than 
deliverance  from  error.  These  things  are  included 
in  the  conception,  but  do  not  exhaust  it.  By 
possessing  truth  Jesus  means  having  life  lifted  up 
into  its  true  line  of  development,  and  by  freedom 
He  means  freedom  from  moral  failure  and  sin. 
This  is  evident  from  v.  34,  in  which  Jesus  defines 
the  opposite  of  freedom.  The  whole  discourse  is 
consequently  an  elaboration  of  the  original  con- 
ception of  Jesus  as  Light. 

21.  again.  Jesus  repeats  what  He  had  said  in 
7.34. 

ye  shall  die  in  your  sins.  The  repetition, 
however,  is  not  exact.  This  time  Jesus  explains 
more  precisely  the  terrible  consequences  of  their 
rejection  of  Him,  and  so  shows  why  they  will  not 
be  able  to  find  Him. 

22.  The  Jews,  refusing  to  dwell  upon  the  warn- 
ing just  given  to  them,  seek  for  another  explanation 
of  the  mysterious  words.  They  now  fall  back  upon 
the  idea  of  suicide — a  more  extravagant  idea  than 
that  which  they  had  propounded  in  7.  35. 

23.  24.  A  more  particular  explanation  of  the 
difference,  in  a  spiritual  sense,  between  the  Jews 
and  Jesus.  Only  by  faith  in  Him  could  the  conse- 
quence of  this  difference  (the  dying  in  their  sins) 
be  averted. 

I  am  he.  An  implied  claim  to  be  the  Messiah, 
without  being  an  explicit  declaration,  for  which  the 
time  was  not  come. 

25-27.  The  question  of  the  Jews  (v.  25)  was 
probably  designed  to  entrap  Jesus  into  a  definite 
avowal  which  would  have  given  an  opportunity  of 


I20  Westminster  New  Testament 

charging  Him  with  blasphemy.  Jesus,  however, 
does  not  give  an  exphcit  reply ;  and  His  answer  is 
in  the  nature  of  a  passing  word,  putting  the 
question  by.  Jesus  then  goes  on  (v.  26)  to  take 
up  again  what  He  has  said  in  v.  24.  The  judg- 
ment of  them  which  He  therein  expressed  will 
have  to  be  repeated  again  and  again ;  and  in 
uttering  it,  Jesus  represents  the  judgment  of 
God. 

28.  Meaning,  not  that  they  would  acknowledge 
themselves  to  have  been  wrong,  but  that  there 
would  be  sufficient  evidence,  for  any  open  mind,  in 
the  events  of  Christ's  death  and  resurrection,  of 
His  divine  mission. 

29.  Another  instance  of  the  great  assertion 
which  constantly  recurs. 

30.  The  belief  spoken  of  was,  however,  only 
temporary.  The  men  who  now  "believed"  were 
those  who  soon  after  (v.  oQ)  tried  to  stone 
Jesus. 

31.  32.  Jesus  at  once  proceeds  to  try  the  faith 
which  these  people  profess.  His  next  words  are 
in  the  nature  of  a  test  of  their  allegiance.  How 
will  they  take  them  ? 

those  Jews  which  believed  on  him.  The 
R.V.,  though  keeping  '^^ believed  on  him"  in  v.  30, 
has  "believed  him"  in  v.  31.  The  difference  is 
significant.  "Believed  on"  implies  surrender  as 
well  as  intellectual  assent  ("  believed  in "  is 
another  New  Testament  phrase).  Having  stated 
that  some  of  the  hearers  "believed  on"  Jesus, 
John  bethinks  himself  in  v.  31  that  they  had 
only  "believed" — not  "believed  on."  They  had 
given  a  sort  of  assent,  but  had  not  really  sur- 
rendered themselves. 


St.  John  121 

33.  The  result  of  the  test  is  at  once  apparent. 
The  hstener's  pride  is  roused  at  the  idea  of  being 
in  bondage.  The  nation  was  of  course  at  the  time 
in  pohtical  bondage  to  Rome,  but  personally  each 
man  was  free,  and  these  people  did  not  reach  to 
the  spiritual  meaning  of  the  words  Jesus  used. 

34-36.  They  were  slaves  to  sin,  and  inasmuch 
as  a  slave  had  no  permanent  place  in  the  kingdom 
of  God,  they  must  identify  themselves  with  Jesus, 
the  Son,  who  could  impart  His  own  freedom  to 
them. 

37,  38.  Jesus  at  the  same  time  admits  their 
descent  from  Abraham  in  the  lower  sense  (in 
the  first  clause),  and  prepares  them  for  the  charge 
of  being  spiritually  descended  from  the  Evil  One. 
Their  conduct  is  not  such  as  descendants  of  Abraham 
should  show. 

your  father.  An  anticipation  of  the  charge 
made  in  v.  44. 

39,  40.  Practically  a  repetition  on  both  sides  of 
the  ideas  previously  expressed,  although  Jesus  now 
suggests  for  them  another  descent  than  that  from 
Abraham,  by  His  use  of  the  words,  ^^If  ye  were 
Abraham's  children." 

41.  your  father.  Of  course  raising  at  once  the 
inquiry  as  to  who  this  father  was.  Apparently 
understanding  at  last  that  Jesus  speaks  of  a  spirit- 
ual heredity,  the  Jews  assert  their  sonship  to  God. 

42.  Compare  v.  19.  In  both  cases,  Jesus  asserts 
that  He  and  God  are  so  truly  one,  that  whoso 
knows  one  knows  the  other.  A  nature  which  has 
any  moral  kinship  with  God  will  recognise  the 
divineness  of  Jesus. 

44,  45.  Note  how  tremendous  is  this  denuncia- 
tion.    To  this  the  previous  words  of  Jesus  on  the 


122  Westminster  New  Testament 

subject  of  spiritual  heredity  have  been  leading  up. 
He  is  determined  to  make  these  men  realise  what 
they  are,  and,  moreover,  to  show  them  how  useless 
was  the  transient  belief  which  they  had  professed 
to  entertain. 

46,  47.  Jesus  further  forces  them  to  admit 
themselves  without  excuse.  They  have  found  no 
fault  in  Him.  If  so  (and  apparently  silence  on 
their  part  admits  it),  they  are  morally  compelled 
to  accept  Him  as  what  He  declares  Himself  to 
be.  But  V.  47  gives  the  reason  why  they  do  not 
do  so. 

48.  a  Samaritan.  The  word  so  translated 
may  have  been,  in  Aramaic,  "Shomron,"  a  name 
given  to  the  prince  of  the  devils. 

49,  50.  Jesus  first  contradicts  the  imputation, 
and  then  states  the  actual  fact — that  He  honours 
His  Father  in  all  that  He  does.  The  hearers  dis- 
honour Him  (by  the  charge  just  made),  but  Jesus 
does  not  care  for  this  for  His  own  sake  (v.  50), 
for  He  seeks  no  glory.  Yet  God  will  vindicate 
Him. 

51.  Here  comes  in  the  idea  of  "^  everlastingness  " 
in  the  life  that  Jesus  gives.  It  has  hitherto  been 
absent  from  this  discourse,  though  prominent  in 
the  discourse  in  chapter  6.  Here  the  presentation 
of  the  idea  is  a  further  challenge. 

52,  5S.  Again  a  proof  of  the  literalness  with 
which  the  Jews  interpreted  everything  they  heard. 
They  could  get  no  higher  than  the  idea  of  physical 
death. 

54,  55.  In  answer  to  the  charge  of  self-glorifica- 
tion, which  has  been  implied  in  the  last  words 
of  the  Jews,  Jesus  again  asserts  His  claim  to 
oneness  with  God.     Through  this  utterance,  also, 


St.  John  123 

there  runs  something  like  that  satire  (^^of  whom 
ye  say,  that  he  is  yom*  God, "  etc.)  which  has  been 
previously  found  in  some  of  the  sayings  of  Jesus. 

56.  Abraham  had  lived  in  faith  and  hope  regard- 
ing the  Messiah's  day. 

57.  Still  not  understanding,  the  Jews  make  a 
point  of  His  comparative  youth.  Of  course  Jesus 
was  not  anything  like  fifty  years  old.  Dr.  Whyte 
suggests  that  Jesus  looked  much  older  than  He 
was,  through  bearing  ever  in  His  thought  and 
upon  His  heart  the  burden  of  the  world's  re- 
demption. 

58.  59.  This  daring  assertion  is  of  course  an 
unmistakable  claim  to  divineness.  The  making  of 
the  claim  put  an  end  to  the  belief  which  had 
never  been  more  than  superficial,  and  changed  it 
to  active  enmity. 


John  9.  1-12. 
THE  HEALING  OF  THE  MAN  BORN  BLIND. 

And  as  Jesus  passed  by,  he  saw  a  man  which  was 

2  blind  from  his  birth.  And  his  disciples  asked  him, 
saying,  Master,  who  did  sin,  this  man,  or  his  parents, 

3  that  he  was  born  blind  ?  Jesus  answered.  Neither 
hath  this  man  sinned,  nor  his  parents  :  but  that  the 

4  works  of  God  should  be  made  manifest  in  him.  I 
must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me,  while  it  is 

5  day  :  the  night  cometh,  when  no  man  can  work.  As 
long  as  I  am  in  the  world,  I  am  the  light   of    the 

6  world.  When  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  spat  on 
the  ground,   and  made  clay  of  the  spittle,   and  he 

7  anointed  the  eyes  of  the  blind  man  with  the  clay,  and 
said  unto  him.  Go,  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam, 
(which  is  by  interpretation,  Sent.)     He  went  his  way 


124  Westminster  New  Testament 

8  therefore,  and  washed,  and  came  seeing.  The  neigh- 
bours therefore,  and  they  which  before  had  seen  him 
that  he  was  bhnd,  said,  Is  not  this  he  that  sat  and 

9  begged  ?     Some  said.  This  is  he  :  other  said,  He  is 

10  hke  him  :  but  he  said,  I  am  he.     Therefore  said  they 

1 1  unto  him.  How  were  thine  eyes  opened  ?  He 
answered  and  said,  A  man  that  is  called  Jesus  made 
clay,  and  anointed  mine  eyes,  and  said  unto  me.  Go 
to  the  pool  of  Siloam,  and  wash  :  and  I  went  and 

12  washed,  and  I  received  sight.  Then  said  they  unto 
him.  Where  is  he  ?     He  said,  I  know  not. 

As  previously  stated,  the  ninth  chapter  connects 
with  the  eighth,  inasmuch  as  in  its  fifth  verse  Jesus 
repeats  the  great  declaration  which  He  had  made 
in  8.  12.  Following  upon  the  miracle  which  this 
section  records,  He  employs  the  light  which  He 
has  brought  to  the  blind  man's  eyes  as  symbolic 
of  the  spiritual  light  which  He  brings  to  human 
life.  The  conception  of  Jesus  as  the  Light  of  the 
world  has,  however,  an  additional  element  in  the 
present  suggestion  of  it,  over  and  above  what 
was  suggested  in  chapter  8.  In  the  case  of  the 
blind  man,  Jesus  compels  him  to  take  some  part, 
slight  but  real,  in  his  own  cure :  he  has  to  go  to 
the  pool  of  Siloam  and  wash.  The  suggestion 
consequently  emerges  that,  while  Jesus  is  the 
Light  of  men,  there  must  be  a  human  activity  in 
order  to  receive  its  blessing.  As  in  a  previous 
instance  we  saw  that  the  idea  of  Jesus  as  the 
Bread  of  Life  follows  upon  the  idea  of  Him  as 
having  "life  in  Himself,"  an  unreal  mysticism 
thus  being  banished,  since  bread  must  be  actually 
reached  out  after  and  deliberately  received — so  is 
it  here.  Jesus  is  the  Light,  but  a  necessary  w  ork 
of  self-adjustment  to  the  Light  remains  for  man. 


St.  John  125 

1.  as  Jesus  passed  by.  This  was  not  long 
after  the  events  recorded  in  chapter  8,  although 
it  is  quite  uncertain  whether  it  was  upon  the  same 
occasion.  It  was  at  any  rate  during  the  same  visit 
to  Jerusalem. 

he  saw  a  man.  The  man  apparently  made  no 
sign  or  appeal,  although  it  was  evidently  his  habit 
to  beg.     This,  however,  was  the  sabbath  day. 

2.  It  was  an  article  of  belief  among  the  Jews 
that  physical  hardship  was  retribution  for  sin.  In 
this  case  the  difficulty  of  the  matter  arose  from  the 
fact  that  the  man  had  been  born  blind  ;  and  to 
seek  for  an  explanation  of  such  a  thing  was  a 
frequent  task  in  the  Rabbinical  schools.  The 
disciples  suggest  two  possibilities — that  the  man 
either  suffered  for  his  parents'  sin,  or  that  he 
was  punished  in  advance,  so  to  say,  for  sins  he 
was  sure  to  commit.  Probably  the  disciples  were 
merely  repeating  what  had  filtered  through  to  the 
people  as  to  Rabbinical  solutions  of  problems  such 
as  this. 

3.  Rejecting  both  alternatives,  Jesus  leaps  with 
heart  and  mind  to  the  conclusion  (and  expresses  it) 
that  His  meeting  with  this  man  was  foreordained 
in  the  Father's  plan.  The  opportunity  becomes 
an  actual  duty,  for  the  works  of  God  were  to  be 
made  manifest  in  this  man. 

4.  I  must  work,  etc.  The  R.V.  has  "  we  must 
work,"  Jesus  thus  associating  Himself  with  His 
disciples,  or  His  disciples  with  Him,  in  His 
ministry.  Note  also  how  the  sense  of  an  ap- 
proaching end  to  His  mission  was  present  to  the 
mind  of  Jesus — "  The  night  cometh,"  etc.  Even 
He  who  needed  no  other  impulse  to  His  appointed 
service   than   the   impulse   of   His   own    obedient 


126  Westminster  New  Testament 

heart,  was  stirred  and  spurred  by  a  feeling  of  the 
Hmitation  of  opportunity. 

5.  See  on  8.  12. 

6,  7.  Edersheim  says  that  the  use  of  saliva  was 
a  common  practice  among  the  Jews  in  treating 
optical  diseases. 

the  pool  of  Siloam.  Still  to  be  identified. 
It  is  to  the  south-east  of  Jerusalem,  where  the 
Tyropoeon  Valley  joins  the  Valley  of  Hinnom.  It 
is  now  called  the  '^'^Birket  Silwan." 

8-12.  These  touches  in  the  narrative  are  emi- 
nently natural.  The  fjict  that  the  neighbours 
knew  of  the  blind  man's  existence  would  go  far 
to  establish  the  reality  of  the  miracle ;  and  the 
doubt  as  to  the  identity,  resolved  finally  by  the 
man  himself,  does  but  accentuate  the  conviction 
of  genuineness  with  which  one  reads  the  story. 

A  man  that  is  called  Jesus,  etc.  Or,  as  in 
R.V.,  'Hhe  man  that  is  called  Jesus," — implying 
that  the  blind  man,  though  without  any  definite 
convictions  as  to  Jesus  and  His  mission,  had  heard 
Him  talked  about. 


John  9.  13-41. 

THE  PHARISEES  AND  THE  MAN  WHO  HAD 
BEEN  BLIND. 

13  They  brought  to  the  Pharisees  him  that  aforetime 

14  was    blind.     And    it    was    the    sabbath    day    when 

15  Jesus  made  the  clay,  and  opened  his  eyes.  Then 
again  the  Pharisees  also  asked  him  how  he  had 
received  his  sight.     He  said  unto  them,  He  put  clay 

16  upon  mine  eyes,  and  I  washed,  and  do  see.     There- 


St.  John  127 

fore  said  some  of  the  Pharisees,  This  man  is  not  of 
God,  because  he  keepeth  not  the  sabbath  day. 
Others  said.  How  can  a  man  that  is  a  sinner  do  such 
miracles  ?     And  there  was  a  division  among  them. 

17  They  say  unto  the  bhnd  man  again.  What  sayest 
thou  of  him,  that  he  hath  opened  thine  eyes  ?     He 

18  said,  He  is  a  prophet.  But  the  Jews  did  not  believe 
concerning  him,  that  he  had  been  blind,  and 
received    his    sight,    until    they   called    the   parents 

19  of  him  that  had  received  his  sight.  And  they 
asked  them,  saying.   Is  this  your  son,   who  ye  say 

20  was  born  blind  ?  how  then  doth  he  now  see  ?  His 
parents  answered  them  and  said.  We  know  that  this 

21  is  our  son,  and  that  he  was  born  blind  :  but  by  what 
means  he  now  seeth,  we  know  not  ;  or  who  hath 
opened  his  eyes,  we  know  not  :  he  is  of  age  ;  ask  him  : 

22  he  shall  speak  for  himself.  These  words  spake  his 
parents,  because  they  feared  the  Jews  :  for  the  Jews 
had  agreed  already,  that  if  any  man  did  confess  that 
he  was  Christ,  he  should  be  put  out  of  the  synagogue. 

23  Therefore  said  his  parents,  He  is  of  age  ;  ask  him. 

24  Then  again  called  they  the  man  that  was  bUnd,  and 
said  unto  him,  Give  God  the  praise  :  we  know  that 

25  this  man  is  a  sinner.  He  answered  and  said.  Whether 
he  be  a  sinner  or  no,  I  know  not  :  one  thing  I  knov.-, 

26  that,  whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see.  Then  said 
they  to  him  again.  What  did  he  to  thee  ?  how  opened 

27  he  thine  eyes  ?  He  answered  them,  I  have  told 
you  already,  and  ye  did  not  hear  :  wherefore  would 

28  ye  hear  it  again  ?  will  ye  also  be  his  disciples  ?  Then 
they  reviled  him,  and  said.  Thou  art  his  disciple  ; 

29  but  we  are  Moses'  disciples.  We  know  that  God 
spake  unto  Moses  :  as  for  this  fellow,  we  know  not 

30  from  whence  he  is.  The  man  answered  and  said 
unto  them,  Why  herein  is  a  marvellous  thing,  that  ye 
know  not  from  whence  he  is,  and  yet  he  hath  opened 

31  mine  eyes.     Now  we   know   that   God   heareth  not 


128  Westminster  New  Testament 

sinners  :   but  if  any  man  be  a  worshipper  of  God, 

32  and  doeth  his  will,  him  he  heareth.  Since  the 
world  began  was  it  not  heard  that  any  man  opened 

33  the  eyes  of  one  that  was  born  blind.     If  this  man 

34  were  not  of  God,  he  could  do  nothing.  They  an- 
swered and  said  unto  him,  Thou  wast  altogether 
born  in  sins,   and  dost  thou  teach  us  ?     And  they 

35  cast  him  out.  Jesus  heard  that  they  had  cast  him 
out  ;  and  when  he  had  found  him,  he  said  unto  him, 

36  Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God  ?  He  answered 
and  said,  Who  is  he.  Lord,  that  I  might  believe  on 

ly  him  ?     And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Thou   hast  both 

38  seen  him,  and  it  is  he  that  talketh  with  thee.  And 
he  said.  Lord,  I  beheve.     And  he  worshipped  him. 

39  And  Jesus  said,  For  judgment  I  am  come  into  this 
world,  that  they  which  see  not  might  see  ;  and  that 

40  they  which  see  might  be  made  blind.  And  some 
of  the  Pharisees  which  were  with  him  heard  these 

41  words,  and  said  unto  him,  Are  we  blind  also  ?  Jesus 
said  unto  them,  If  ye  were  blind,  ye  should  have  no 
sin  :  but  now  ye  say,  We  see  ;  therefore  your  sin 
remaineth. 

This  makes  one  of  the  few  sections  in  John's 
Gospel  in  which  we  are  taken  away  from  the 
actual  company  of  Jesus^  and  given  a  glimpse  of 
what  goes  on  as  it  were  behind  the  scenes.  The 
narrative  serves  to  show  how  bitter  the  hostility 
of  the  Pharisees  towards  Jesus  was  growing.  Their 
determination  to  find  Him  in  the  wrong — their 
examination  and  cross-examination  of  the  healed 
man  in  order  to  discover  some  way  in  which  the 
reported  miracle  might  be  discredited — all  help 
to  deepen  the  impression.  It  is  evident  that  the 
incident  of  the  healing  made  a  crisis  in  the  rela- 
tions between  Jesus  and  the  Jews. 


St.  John  129 

13,  14.  Evidently  some  of  the  hostile  ones 
among  the  crowd  bestirred  themselves,  and  forced 
the  man  into  the  presence  of  the  Pharisees.  Their 
object  comes  out  in  v.  14,  wherein  the  fact  of 
the  miracle  having  been  wrought  on  the  sabbath 
is  indicated  as  the  burden  of  the  charge.  The 
Pharisees  to  whom  the  man  was  brought  cannot 
have  been  the  Sanhedrin  itself,  as  this  did  not 
meet  on  the  sabbath ;  but  it  was  probably  some 
recognised  committee  of  the  Sanhedrin,  and  in  any 
case  it  had  an  official  character,  as  it  possessed 
power  to  excommunicate  (v.  34.) 

15,  16.  Then  again  the  Pharisees  asked, 
etc.  The  first  inquiry  had  been  put  by  the 
neighbours  (v.  10) — hence  "  again." 

The  question  of  the  Pharisees  was  put  with  the 
object  of  obtaining,  from  the  man's  own  lips, 
evidence  of  sabbath-breaking  on  the  part  of  Jesus. 
The  man  is,  however,  cautious ;  and  while  he  is 
obliged  to  say  that  clay  had  been  put  upon  his 
eyes  (which  was  itself  a  violation  of  Rabbinical 
sabbath  law)  he  does  not  mention  the  actual 
making  of  the  clay,  which  was,  from  the  ecclesias- 
tical point  of  view,  the  worst  feature  of  all.  The 
Pharisees  find  enough,  in  what  the  man  says, 
to  condemn  Jesus,  although  a  section  of  them 
(possibly  influenced  by  Nicodemus)  take  a  less 
drastic  view. 

17.  Wishing  to  make  more  sure  of  their  ground, 
they  shift  the  emphasis  of  inquiry.  The  question 
now  is,  not  what  did  Jesus  do,  but  what  does  the 
man  think  of  Him }  It  looks  like  a  determination 
to  have  somebody  with  whom  they  can  quarrel. 
Perhaps  the  man  will  give  them  a  handle.  The 
man's  reply,  stating  his   belief  that  Jesus  was  a 


I30  Westminster  New  Testament 

prophet,  does  not  carry  things  very  far.  Less 
than  this  he  could  hardly  say,  assuming  the 
miracle  to  be  real.  A  "prophet  "  means  one  with 
a  special  divine  commission — not  necessarily  one 
who  foretells. 

18,  19-  Since  the  statement  that  Jesus  was  a 
prophet  could  hardly  be  contested,  if  the  healing 
had  indeed  been  wrought,  the  Pharisees  next  cast 
doubt  upon  the  miracle.  Calling  the  parents  of 
the  man,  they  interrogate  them.  They  insinuate 
doubt  as  to  whether  the  man  before  them  is  the 
well-known  son,  then  a  further  doubt  as  to  whether 
he  was  really  born  blind.  "  Of  whom  ye  say,"  etc. 
(v.  19). 

20-23.  The  parents'  answer  is  both  direct  and 
cautious.  They  avow  this  man  to  be  their  son, 
and  declare  that  he  had  been  born  blind  (thus 
knocking  away  all  pretext  for  scepticism),  but 
upon  the  miracle  itself  they  offer  no  opinion.  The 
reason  is  given  in  v.  22. 

put  out  of  the  synagogue.  Meaning,  doubt- 
less, a  permanent  excommunication,  not  the 
temporary  exclusion  which  was  sometimes  ad- 
judged. 

24.  Give  God  the  praise.  Better,  "Give 
glory  to  God,"  as  in  R.V.  It  was  a  customary 
formula  addressed  to  evil-doers  of  all  kinds 
(compare  Josh.  7.  19)^  and  meant,  "Give  honour 
to  God  by  making  confession."  In  this  instance 
the  Pharisees  speak  to  the  man,  not  exactly  as  an 
evil-doer,  but  as  one  who  has  been  led  into  a  false 
belief  about  Jesus.  Their  tactics  are  to  speak  as 
if  they  had,  during  the  man's  absence,  discovered 
complete  proof  that  Jesus  was  a  "sinner." 

25.  The     man,    still    cautious    (although    he    is 


St.  John  131 

gradually  being  stirred  to  the  indignation  which 
comes  out  in  v.  21),  declines  to  discuss  the  ab- 
stract question.  But  as  to  the  fact  of  his  healing, 
he  reaffirms  it  with  emphasis  ;  and  clearly  there 
is  in  his  mind  the  conviction  which  he  later  on 
expresses  (in  v.  33). 

26.  The  purpose  of  the  repeated  inquiry  is  to 
catch  the  man  in  some  self-contradiction. 

27.  Now  there  comes  in  the  man  a  change  of 
mood.  The  question,  "  Will  ye  also  be  his  dis- 
ciples ? "  is  of  course  satirical. 

28.  29.  The  Pharisees  now  take  refuge  in  mere 
abuse.  They  claim  to  be  disciples  of  Moses 
(doubtless  thus  justifying  themselves  for  condemn- 
ing a  breach  of  sabbatic  law),  and  proudly  contrast 
themselves,  as  followers  of  Moses,  with  this  man, 
who  follows  a  leader  of  whom  ''  we  know  not 
whence  he  is." 

30-33.  The  man  flings  back  taunt  for  taunt.  It 
is  a  marvellous  thing  that  these  men,  who  claim  to 
know  everything  worth  knowing,  cannot  tell 
whence  this  Jesus  comes !  They  ought  to  know 
all  about  one  who  can  do  a  miracle  such  as  this  ! 
The  man,  however,  passes  on  from  this  to  a  brief 
but  sufficient  argument.  Jesus  must  be  of  God, 
for  the  work  He  has  wrought  witnesses  to  His 
divine  mission. 

34.  The  bigotry  of  the  Pharisees  has  bigotry's 
usual  end.  Defeated  in  argument,  they  have 
recourse  to  excommunication. 

Thou  wast  altogether  born  in  sins.    This 

is  a  taunting  allusion  to  the  man's  infirmity — 
assuming,  as  the  disciples  had  assumed  at  the 
beginning  (though  in  a  different  spirit),  that  the 
man's  blindness  was  a  penalty  for  sin. 


132  Westminster  New  Testament 

35.  Dost  thou  believe?  "  Thou  "  is  emphatic. 
"  Art  thou  like  the  unbelieving  ones,  or  not  ?  " 

the  Son  of  God?  Some  MSS.  read  "the 
Son  of  Man,"  and  Westcott  prefers  the  reading. 
It  does  not,  however,  harmonise  so  well  with  the 
general  tenor  of  the  story.  Evidently  the  object 
of  Jesus  was  to  lead  the  man  into  a  higher,  a  truly 
Messianic,  faith,  and  "the  Son  of  God"  was  a 
Messianic  title. 

36.  The  man's  reply  shows  that  he  had  faith, 
and  was  prepared  to  surrender  his  mind  to  Jesus, 
but  he  had  not  a  full  recognition  of  who  and  what 
Jesus  v/as. 

37.  38.  His  perfect  readiness  is  shown  in  his 
swift  acceptance  of  Jesus'  claim. 

39.  Probably  Jesus  uttered  these  words  to  Him- 
self, a  sort  of  soliloquy  by  way  of  commentary  upon 
what  had  just  taken  place.  The  words  were 
overheard,  however,  by  some  of  the  Pharisees  who 
had  followed,  as  vv.  40,  41  indicate.  The  words 
of  this  verse  show  Christ's  consciousness  of  that 
discriminating  judgment  He  exercised  upon  all 
with  whom  He  came  into  contact.  "  They  which 
see  not"  means  those  who  are  ignorant,  but  who 
are  ready  to  see  and  to  know — like  the  healed 
man.  And  "they  which  see"  means  those  who 
unwarrantably  claim  to  see — like  the  Pharisees. 

40.  Are  we  blind  also  ?  The  Pharisees  catch 
up  the  one  word,  realising  that  in  some  way  it  is 
aimed  against  them.     But  they  do  not  apprehend 

he  real  point. 

41.  The  stress  of  the  reply  falls  upon  the 
distinction  between  blindness  and  wilful  blindness. 
"  If  ye  were  blind  " — if  ye  really  were  unable  to 
recognise  Me — "ye  should  have  no  sin."      "But 


St.  John  133 

now  ye  say,  We  see  " — and  in  a  manner  that  is 
true,  for  you  could  see  if  you  would.  But  since 
you  are  thus  wilfidly  blind,  "your  sin  remaineth." 
For  the  moment,  Jesus  accepts  their  account  of 
themselves.  They  see — very  well,  but  so  much 
the  greater  is  their  blame. 


John  10.  1-21. 

JESUS  AS  THE  SHEPHERD  AND  AS 
THE  DOOR. 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  entereth 
not  by  the  door  into  the  sheepfold  but  dimbeth  up 
some  other  way,  the  same  is  a  thief  and  a  robber. 

2  But  he  that  entereth  in  by  the  door  is  the  shepherd 

3  of  the  sheep.  To  him  the  porter  openeth  ;  and  the 
sheep  hear  his  voice  :  and  he  calleth  his  own  sheep  by 

4  name,  and  leadeth  them  out.  And  when  he  putteth 
forth   his   own   sheep,    he   goeth   before    them,    and 

5  the  sheep  follow  him  :  for  they  know  his  voice.  And 
a  stranger  will  they  not  follow,  but  will  flee  from 

6  him  :  for  they  know  not  the  voice  of  strangers.  This 
parable  spake  Jesus  unto  them  :  but  they  understood 
not   what    things   they   were   which   he   spake   unto 

7  them.     Then   said    Jesus   unto   them   again.    Verily, 

8  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  I  am  the  door  of  the  sheep.  All 
that  ever  came  before  me  are  thieves  and  robbers  : 

9  but  the  sheep  did  not  hear  them.  I  am  the  door  : 
by  me  if  any  man  enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved,  and 

10  shall  go  in  and  out,  and  find  pasture.  The  thief 
Cometh  not,  but  for  to  steal,  and  to  kill,  and  to 
destroy  :  I  am  come  that  they  might  have  life,  and 

11  that  they  might  have  it  more  abundantly.  I  am 
the  good  shepherd  :    the  good  shepherd  giveth  his 


134  Westminster  New  Testament 

12  life  for  the  sheep.  But  he  that  is  an  hireling.and  not 
the  shepherd,  whose  own  the  sheep  are  not,  seeth 
the  wolf  coming,  and  leaveth  the  sheep,  and  fleeth  : 
and    the    wolf    catcheth    them,    and    scattereth    the 

13  sheep.     The  hireling  fleeth,  because  he  is  an  hireling, 

14  and  careth  not  for  the  sheep.  I  am  the  good 
shepherd,  and  know  my  sheep,  and  am  known  of 

15  mine.  As  the  Father  knoweth  me,  even  so  know  I 
the  Father  :  and  I  lay  down  my  life  for  the  sheep. 

16  And  other  sheep  I  have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold  : 
them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my 
voice  ;  and  there  shall  be  one  fold,  and  one  shepherd. 

17  Therefore  doth  my  Father  love  me,  because  I  lay 

18  down  my  life,  that  I  might  take  it  again.  No  man 
taketh  it  from  me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  myself.  I 
have  power  to  lay  it  down,  and  T  have  power  to 
take  it  again.     This  commandment  have  I  received 

19  of  my  Father.     There  was  a  division  therefore  again 

20  among  the  Jews  for  these  sayings.  And  many  of 
them  said,  He  hath  a  devil,  and  is  mad  ;  why  hear  ye 

21  liim  ?  Others  said,  These  are  not  the  words  of 
him  that  hath  a  devil.  Can  a  devil  open  the  eyes 
of  the  blind  ? 

In  this  section  Jesus  repeats  in  yet  another  form 
the  idea  which  has  met  us  in  varying  guise  since 
we  began  the  study  of  chapter  5.  From  that 
chapter  up  to  the  eighteenth  verse  of  this,  the 
consciousness  of  Jesus — His  self-consciousness  as 
the  Source  and  Giver  of  hfe  to  men — has  been 
making  itself  heard.  He  has  life  in  Himself,  and 
man  must  therefore  identify  himself  with  Jesus  in 
a  most  real  sense — must  really  receive  Jesus  as 
bread  and  water  are  received — must  really  let 
Jesus  shine  in  upon  him  as  light  shines  in  upon 
darkness — that   has    been   the    ceaseless    burden. 


St.  John  135 

NoWj  as  if  desirous  of  presenting  the  same  concep- 
tion in  a  fashion  more  tender  and  winning,  Jesus 
speaks  of  Himself  as  the  Shepherd  of  the  sheep. 
It  is  still  the  same  conception  ;  for  the  sheep  are 
entirely  dependent  upon  the  shepherd,  stand,  in 
fact,  for  the  type  of  utter  helplessness.  But  the 
suggested  relation  involves  the  ideas  of  tenderness 
and  compassion  as  the  preceding  statements  have 
scarcely  done. 

How  the  idea  of  man's  identification  with  Himself 
was  still  prominent  in  Jesus'  mind,  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  in  the  course  of  this  discourse  Jesus 
speaks  of  Himself  as  the  "  door."  Jesus  as  the 
Shepherd  is  the  principal  idea ;  but,  anxious  to 
insist  upon  the  necessity  of  man's  veritable  oneness 
with  Him,  as  well  as  upon  His  own  tenderness 
towards  man,  Jesus  passes  from  the  idea  of  the 
Shepherd  to  that  of  the  door  of  the  fold — indi- 
cating that  man  must  actually  enter  into  Him. 
Twice,  in  v.  7  and  in  v.  Q,  the  mind  of  Jesus  moves 
to  this  point.  In  a  manner  the  change  of  figure 
complicates  things  a  little,  and  yet  it  is  easy  to 
see  the  connection  between  the  one  metaphor  and 
the  other — or,  at  any  rate,  how  and  why  the 
passage  from  the  first  to  the  second  was  made. 

This  discourse  follows  closely  upon  the  incidents 
recorded  in  the  previous  chapter.  It  was  very 
likely  to  the  man  who  had  been  blind  that  Jesus 
uttered  the  discourse,  contrasting  His  "shepherd- 
ing" with  that  of  the  ecclesiastical  authorities. 
Certainly  some  of  those  who  had  seen  or  known  of 
the  miracle  heard  this  discourse,  as  is  shown  by 
the  allusion  in  v.  21.  The  account,  therefore, 
belongs  to  that  same  history  of  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles  which  began  at  7.  10. 


136  Westminster  New  Testament 

1-3.  An  Eastern  sheepfold  has  a  solid  door^ 
which  is  closed  at  night  and  guarded  by  a  door- 
keeper, or  ^^  porter."  A  thief  would  of  course 
climb  in  ^'^some  other  way/'  not  by  the  door. 

a  thief  and  a  robber.  The  implied  suggestion 
is  that  the  Pharisees  had  entered  the  fold  (the 
sphere  of  religious  life  and  activity)  without  due 
authorisation,  and  with  unlawful  purposes  of  self- 
aggrandisement.  Jesus,  coming  by  the  door,  is 
the  appointed  One,  the  true  Shepherd  of  the 
sheep.  One  may  also  see  in  the  phrase  a  hint  of 
the  naturalness  of  Christ's  coming,  such  as  we 
previously  met  with  in  1.  3,  10,  11. 

4,  5.  his  own  sheep.  Several  flocks  may  be 
penned  in  one  fold  for  safety,  and  in  the  morning 
the  shepherd  calls  forth  his  own,  his  voice  being 
immediately  recognised  by  the  members  of  his 
particular  flock.  Perhaps,  however,  there  was  a 
kind  of  reverse  suggestion  in  the  words  ;  and  Jesus 
may  have  been  thinking  of  some  who  should  have 
known  themselves  to  be  His  own,  but  who  did  not 
respond  to  His  call.  Compare  1.  11.  Similarly, 
while  the  sheep  always  refused  to  be  charmed  by 
a  strange  voice,  many  of  Jesus'  "  own  "  had  allowed 
themselves  to  be  led  astray. 

6,  7.  As  the  hearers  did  not  understand,  Jesus 
makes  a  new  beginning,  and  proceeds  to  explain 
that  He  is  Himself  the  Shepherd  of  whom  He 
has  spoken.  Mingled  with  this,  however,  is  now 
the  other  metaphor  of  Himself  as  the  door.  On 
the  meaning,  see  above.  It  is  as  though  Jesus 
felt  constrained  to  declare  to  the  people  ceaselessly 
that  they  must  become  one  with  Him  if  the}'^  would 
truly  live,  and  turned  aside  from  His  first  idea  of 
the    Shepherd    to    emphasise    the    truth.       The 


St.  John  137 

mention  of  the  fold  had  of  course  suggested  the 
idea  of  the  door — hence  the  slight  complication  of 
thought. 

8.  Here  Jesus  returns  to  the  original  conception 
of  Himself  as  the  Shepherd;,  and  to  His  original 
contrast  of  Himself  with  the  Pharisees — also,  of 
course,  with  the  false  Messiahs  of  past  days. 

9.  In  this  verse  Jesus  returns  to  the  other 
metaphor. 

10-13.  And  here  He  once  more  takes  up  the 
first  idea.  He  is  now  going  to  mention  two 
characteristics  which  distinguish  Him,  the  true 
Shepherd,  from  the  pretended  shepherds,  the 
thieves  and  robbers  who  steal  into  the  fold.  The 
first  characteristic  is  that  of  His  self-sacrifice  for 
the  sake  of  the  flock.  The  Pharisees  had  no 
thought  save  of  self,  and  cared  not  even  if  they 
"  killed  and  destroyed,"  so  long  as  their  own  ends 
were  gained.  Jesus  was  to  give  His  life  for  the 
sheep.  Note  how  in  the  phrase,  ^'  I  am  come  that 
they  might  have  life"  (v.  10),  the  fundamental 
conception  of  this  Gospel  comes  out  once  more. 
The  keynote,  ^Mife,"  is  thus  struck  again. 

14.  And  the  second  characteristic  of  the  true 
shepherding  lies  in  the  mutual  fellowship,  the 
mutual  knowledge,  between  Jesus  and  His  own. 
There  was  no  such  relationship  between  the 
ecclesiastical  authorities  and  those  whom  they 
professed  to  guide. 

15.  This  verse  is  more  closely  related  with  v.  14 
than  the  A.V.  brings  out.  As  the  R.V.  has  it,  it 
follows  directly  upon  the  preceding  words.  "  I 
know  mine  own,  and  mine  own  know  me,  even  as 
the  Father  knoweth  me,  and  I  know  the  Father." 
A  parallel  is  drawn,  therefore,  between  the  mutual 


138  Westminster  New  Testament 

relations  of  Jesus  and  His  disciples  and  the  mutual 
relations  of  Jesus  and  God.  See  a  similar  parallel 
in  6.  57. 

16.  This  is  a  great  anticipation  of  the  world- 
wide ministry  which  Jesus  was  at  last  to  exercise, 
and  of  the  vast  sweep  of  His  gospel.  It  was  not 
only  to  the  Jews,  but  to  ^' other  sheep/'  that  He 
brought  His  gift  of  life. 

one  fold.  Properly  "one  flock/'  as  in  R.V. — 
so  barring  out  any  idea  of  an  external  uniformity. 
The  sheep  will  not  necessarily  be  penned  within 
the  same  walls. 

,  1 7.  Here  we  have  the  consciousness  of  intimate 
communion,  of  mutual  affection,  between  Jesus  and 
His  Father,  manifested  once  more.  The  words 
are  hardly  in  direct  relation  with  the  general 
utterance  Jesus  has  been  pursuing.  They  are  in 
the  nature  of  a  soliloquy,  such  as  we  have  listened 
to  on  other  occasions  in  the  Gospel.  Jesus  delights 
to  remind  Himself  how  entirely  God  and  He  are 
one — how  He  dwells  in  the  Father's  love  because 
He  does  the  Father's  will  (compare  15.  10). 

18.  This,  too,  is  in  a  manner  said  to  Himself, 
rather  than  to  anyone  standing  by.  It  is  the 
entire  voluntariness  of  His  sacrifice — Jesus  reminds 
Himself — which  makes  His  sacrifice  so  acceptable 
in  the  Father's  sight. 

19-21.  Again,  as  in  9-  16,  the  impression  upon 
the  listeners  varies.  Some  of  them  are  moved 
from  their  hostility  into  uncertainty.  It  does  not 
go  further  than  that,  and  probably  even  this  was 
but  a  temporary  effect.  But  others  fall  back  upon 
a  hypothesis  of  diabolic  possession,  which  had  been 
employed  before  (7.  20). 


St.  John  139 


John  10.  22-42. 
JESUS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  DEDICATION. 

22  And  it  was  at  Jerusalem  the  feast  of  the  dedication, 

23  and  it  was  winter.     x\nd  Jesus  walked  in  the  temple 

24  in  Solomon's  porch.  Then  came  the  Jews  round 
about  him,  and  said  unto  him,  How  long  dost  thou 
make  us  to  doubt  ?     If   thou  be  the  Christ,  tell  us 

25  plainly.  Jesus  answered  them,  I  told  you,  and 
ye  believed  not  :  the  works  that  I  do  in  my  Father's 

26  name,  they  bear  witness  of  me.  But  ye  believe  not, 
because  ye  are  not  of  my  sheep,  as  I  said  unto  you. 

27  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,   and   I   know  them,   and 

28  they  follow  me  :  and  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life  ; 
and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any  man 

29  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand.  My  Father,  which  gave 
them  me,  is  greater  than  all  ;  and  no  man  is  able  to 

30  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father's  hand.     I  and  my 

31  Father    are    one.     Then    the    Jews    took    up    stones 

32  again  to  stone  him.  Jesus  answered  them.  Many 
good  works  have  I   shewed  you  from  my  Father  ; 

33  for  which  of  those  works  do  ye  stone  me  ?  The 
Jews  answered  him,  saying.  For  a  good  work  we 
stone  thee  not  ;  but  for  blasphemy ;  and  because 
that    thou,    being    a    man,    makest     thyself     God. 

34  Jesus  answered  them,  Is  it  not  written  in  your  law, 

35  /  said,  Ye  are  gods  ?  If  he  called  them  gods,  unto 
whom    the   word   of   God   came,    and    the   scripture 

36  cannot  be  broken  ;  say  ye  of  him,  whom  the  Father 
hath  sanctified,  and  sent  into  the  world.  Thou 
blasphemest  ;  because  I  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God  ? 

37  If  I  do  not  the  works  of  my  Father,  believe  me  not. 

38  But  if  I  do,  though  ye  believe  not  me,  believe  the 
works  :   that   ye  may  know,   and   believe,   that   the 

39  Father  is   in   me,    and    I   in   him.      Therefore    they 


I40  Westminster  New  Testament 

sought  again  to  take  him  ;    but  he  escaped  out  of 

40  their  hand,  and  went  away  again  beyond  Jordan  into 
the  place  where  John  at  first  baptized  ;  and  there  he 

41  abode.     And    many   resorted    unto   him,   and   said, 
John   did    no   miracle  :    but    all    things    that    John 

42  spake  of  this  man  were  true.     And  many  believed  on 
him  there. 

We  have  previously  noted  that  at  this  point 
John  returns  to  his  first  method  of  telling  the 
story  of  Jesus'  life.  From  the  commencement  of 
the  fifth  chapter  doMii  to  the  point  we  have 
reached,  John  has  not  been  so  much  speaking  /or 
Jesus  or  about  Jesus,  as  letting  Jesus  speak  for 
Himself:  it  has  been  the  voice  of  Christ's  own 
consciousness  that  has  in  these  chapters  been 
heard.  Now  John  resumes  the  position  of 
spectator,  and  once  again  tells  us  what  the 
spectator  sees.  It  is  true  that  in  the  section 
immediately  under  consideration  we  meet  again 
with  some  of  the  ideas  of  chapters  5-10.  18,  for 
instance,  in  vv.  27,  28,  and  perhaps  this  section 
might  therefore  be  regarded  as  transitional  from 
the  one  "method"  to  the  other.  But  broadly 
speaking,  John  may  now  be  taken  as  speaking yb;- 
and  about  Jesus  once  more.  Of  course,  the  main 
purpose  of  the  writer  is  still  the  same,  and  every- 
thing that  John  tells  about  Jesus  he  tells  us  in 
order  that  we  may  believe  Jesus  to  be  the  Son  of 
God. 

According  to  the  most  probable  reckoning  of 
the  chronology  here,  two  months  elapsed  between 
V.  21  and  v.  22.  This  would  necessarily  be  so,  if, 
as  is  usually  supposed,  all  the  events  narrated  in 
chapters  9  and  1 0  belong  to  the  Feast  of  Taber- 
nacles ;  for  the  latter  feast  was  held  in  October, 


St.  John  141 

and  the  Feast  of  the  Dedication  in  December.  As 
to  the  interval,  the  majority  of  commentators  place 
in  it  the  events  recorded  in  Luke  10-13.  22,  but 
some  consider  that  the  time  was  spent  in  Jerusalem. 
Westcott,  however,  gets  rid  of  all  interval  between 
V.  21  and  v.  22  by  supposing  that  the  history  of 
the  Feast  of  Dedication  begins  at  9-  1-  There  is 
not  much  to  support  this.  It  is  true  that  the 
reference  to  the  ^^ sheep"  in  v.  27  appears  to  link 
this  utterance  to  that  of  the  earlier  part  of  the 
chapter,  but  the  similarity  of  metaphor  can  be 
otherwise  explained  (see  on  the  verse) ;  and,  more- 
over, the  way  in  which  the  discourse  in  chapter  9 
can  be  connected  with  the  symbolism  of  the  Feast 
of  Tabernacles  is  strong  evidence  for  placing  it  on 
that  occasion.  We  conclude,  therefore,  that 
between  v.  21  and  v.  22  an  interval  of  two  months 
must  be  assumed. 

22.  the  feast  of  the  dedication.    This  feast, 

which  is  mentioned  by  John  only  in  the  New 
Testament,  commemorated  the  re-consecration  of 
the  Temple  by  Judas  Maccabaeus  after  Antiochus 
Epiphanes  had  profaned  it  in  160  or  l64  b.c.  It 
was  not  only  at  Jerusalem  that  it  was  kept. 
Houses  were  brilliantly  illuminated,  from  which 
circumstance  the  feast  was  sometimes  called  the 
"feast  of  lights." 

23.  Solomon's  porch.  Porticoes  surrounded 
the  Temple,  and  Josephus  speaks  of  a  porch  on 
the  eastern  side  which  Solomon  had  built. 
Solomon's  porch  is  again  mentioned  in  Acts  3.  11, 
in  connection  with  the  cure  of  the  lame  man  by 
Peter  and  John. 

24.  The  object  of  the  question  was  probably  to 
draw  from  Jesus  that  explicit  assertion  of  Messiah- 


142  Westminster  New  Testament 

ship  which  He  had  hitherto  withheld.  Such  an 
assertion  would  have  enabled  the  Jews  to  proceed 
at  once  against  Him  with  apparently  good  grounds. 
It  must  be  remembered^  however,  that  for  Jesus  to 
declare  Himself  the  Christ,  as  they  suggested  He 
should  do,  would  have  been  misleading,  inasmuch 
as  His  conception  of  Messiahship  was  totally 
different  from  theirs, 

25.  I  told  you.  This  does  not  refer  to  the  one 
or  two  definite  declarations  we  have  noticed — such 
as  the  declaration  to  the  Samaritan  woman  (4.  26) 
and  that  to  the  man  healed  of  blindness  (9-  37), 
for  these  had  been  made  in  private.  The  reference 
is  rather  to  the  fact  that  a  claim  to  Messiahship 
had  been  implied  in  many  of  the  things  Jesus  had 
said  about  His  own  relation  to  God,  and  kindred 
things — and  also  as  stated  in  the  later  part  of  the 
verse  to  the  works  which  Jesus  had  wrought. 

26-28.  Note  how  the  allegory  of  the  Shepherd 
and  the  sheep  recurs,  the  two  points — that  of  the 
mutual  knowledge  between  sheep  and  Shepherd, 
and  that  of  the  gift  of  life — being  insisted  on  once 
more.  Probably,  finding  Himself  amid  the  same 
surroundings  as  two  months  before,  and  with  a 
similarly  hostile  crowd  about  Him,  Jesus  felt  the 
subject  of  the  former  discourse  coming  back  into 
His  mind. 

29,  30.  In  speaking  thus  about  the  Father  and 
Himself,  Jesus  really  answers  the  question  put  to 
Him  in  v.  24. 

my  Father's  hand.     Note  how  the  idea  of  the. 
Father's  hand  is  substituted  for  that  of  the  Shep- 
herd's hand  in  v.  28  —  another  claim  to  absolute 
oneness  with  God. 

31.  That   the  Jews  understood   this  is  evident 


St.  John  143 

from  the  stoning  which  they  now  attempted^  and 
from  the  statement  in  v.  33. 

again.  The  previous  attempt  is  recorded  in 
8.  59. 

32,  33.  The  inquiry  of  Jesus  is  an  instance  of 
irony.  In  their  reply^  the  Jews  really  give  away 
their  case  ;  for  they  do  not  deny  the  "  good  works/' 
but  thrust  them  aside^  refusing  to  admit  their 
evidential  value  in  favour  of  the  claim  which  Jesus 
makes. 

S4<-36.  The  Old  Testament  reference  is  to  Psalm 
82.  6.  In  this  passage  rulers  are  called  ^^gods" 
and  "children  of  the  Most  High"  as  being  re- 
presentatives of  God  on  earth.  The  argument  of 
Jesus  is  that  if  these  rulers  could  be  called  ''  gods/' 
how  much  more  justly  could  He  Himself^  with 
His  special  mission  and  ministry,  claim  the  title 
of  Son  ? 

31,  38.  Jesus  passes  to  another  argument — that 
from  the  works  He  has  wrought.  Thus  He  returns 
to  the  point  Avhich  He  has  ironically  put  to  His 
critics  in  v.  32,  the  point  which  then  the  critics 
refused  to  face.  If  they  could  not,  starting  from 
what  He  said,  believe  in  His  claim,  let  them  start 
from  these  "works,"  and  so  find  credible  that 
claim  which  at  a  first  glance  seemed  beyond 
belief 

39.  to  take  him.  Enough  impression  has  been 
wTought  to  make  the  hostile  critics  give  up  their 
intention  of  stoning  Jesus.  They  will  be  content 
now  with  arresting  Him.  But  even  this  they  are 
not  able  to  do.  As  has  happened  before,  Jesus, 
probably  over -awing  them  by  the  majesty  He 
showed,  escapes  from  their  grasp. 

40.  For  a  while  Jesus  retires  to  a  place  of  safety. 


144  Westminster  New  Testament 

It  is  not  yet  time  for  Him  to  be  delivered   into 
His  enemies'  hands. 

there  he  abode.  For  the  place,  see  1.  28. 
There  were  yet  four  months  to  the  Crucifixion,  but 
not  all  this  time  was  spent  at  the  "place  where 
John  first  baptized/'  since  space  must  be  found  for 
the  events  related  in  the  following  chapter,  and 
for  the  sojourn  in  Ephraim  alluded  to  in  11.  54. 

41.  Dr.  McClymont  has  a  suggestive  note  on 
this  in  his  commentary  on  St.  John  {Century  Bible). 
If  it  be  true  that  miracles  were  attributed  as  a 
matter  of  course  to  every  prophet,  as  some  modern 
critics  assert,  why  were  none  attributed  to  the 
Baptist  ?  It  is  more  just  to  assume,  in  face  of  the 
definite  statement  that  "John  did  no  miracle," 
that  when  miracles  were  attributed,  as  in  the  case 
of  Jesus,  it  was  because  they  were  actually 
performed. 

42.  there.  And  many  believed  on  him 
there.     "There" — in  contrast  to  Jerusalem. 


John  II.  1-44. 
THE  RAISING  OF  LAZARUS. 

The  narrative  of  the  raising  of  Lazarus  may  be 
divided  into  two  sections,  the  first  section,  vv.  1-1 6, 
recounting  the  conversation  between  Jesus  and 
His  disciples  before  the  miracle,  and  the  second 
section,  vv.  17-44,  embodying  the  account  of  the 
miracle  itself. 

The  whole  of  the  eleventh  chapter  should  be 
viewed  in  connection  with  the  twelfth,  since  the 
two  together  are  designed,  in  John's   scheme,  to 


St.  John  145 

show  the  attitude  of  Jesus  towards  death.  The 
EvangeHst  is  preparing  for  the  story  of  the  Cross, 
which  he  will  soon  have  to  tell.  The  question  is 
bound  to  arise,  "  This  Jesus,  who,  you  say,  was  in 
a  special  sense  the  Son  of  God,  why  did  He  permit 
death  to  master  Him  ?  How  do  you  reconcile  the 
fact  of  His  crucifixion  by  the  hands  of  men  with 
the  alleged  fact  of  His  divineness  ? "  In  this 
chapter  John  gives  the  first  part  of  his  answer; 
for,  by  raising  Lazarus  from  the  dead,  Jesus  reveals 
His  power  over  death.  He  Himself,  therefore, 
need  not  have  died.  His  own  death  must  have 
been  a  voluntary  self-sacrifice.  In  the  twelfth 
chapter  John  gives  the  second  part  of  the  answer ; 
for  there  he  shows  Jesus  (as  we  shall  see)  actually 
welcoming  death  as  the  means  by  which  His  work 
would  be  perfected.  The  full  reply  to  the  in- 
dicated objection  is,  consequently,  that  Jesus  was 
master  of  death,  not  mastered  by  it,  but  that  He 
submitted  to  it  for  His  mission's  sake. 

The  story  of  the  raising  of  Lazarus  is  to  be 
taken,  also,  as  confirmatory  of  previously  recorded 
sayings  of  Jesus,  in  which  He  spoke  of  Himself  as 
the  possessor  and  giver  of  '^eternal  life."  It  links 
itself  on  to  the  main  idea  of  the  Fourth  Gospel — 
the  idea  of  Christ  as  the  Source  of  life.  The  unity 
of  purpose  in  this  Gospel  comes  out  once  more. 

(A)  I-I6.  Before  the  Miracle. 

Now  a  certain   man  was  sick,   named   Lazarus,    of 
Bethany,  the  town  of  Mary  and  her  sister  Martha. 

2  (It  was  that  Mary  which  anointed   the  Lord  with 
ointment,  and  wiped   his  feet  with   her  hair,  whose 

3  brother    Lazarus    was    sick.)     Therefore    his    sisters 
sent  unto  him,  saying.  Lord,  behold,  he  whom  thou 

10 


146  Westminster  New  Testament 

4  lovest  is  sick.  When  Jesus  heard  that,  he  said, 
This  sickness  is  not  unto  death,  but  for  the  glory 
of   God,    that    the   Son   of   God   might   be   glorified 

5  thereby.     Now  Jesus  loved  Martha,  and  her  sister, 

6  and  Lazarus.  When  he  had  heard  therefore  that 
he  was  sick,   he  abode  two  days  still  in  the  same 

7  place   where   he   was.     Then  after  that  saith  he  to 

8  his  disciples.  Let  us  go  into  Judaea  again.  His 
disciples  say  unto  him.  Master,  the  Jews  of  late 
sought  to  stone  thee  ;  and  goest  thou  thither  again  ? 

9  Jesus  answered.  Are  there  not  twelve  hours  in  the 
day  ?     If  any  man  walk  in  the  day,  he  stumbleth 

10  not,  because  he  seeth  the  light  of  this  world.  But 
if  a  man  walk  in  the  night,  he  stumbleth,  because 

1 1  there  is  no  light  in  him.  These  things  said  he  : 
and  after  that  he  saith  unto  them.  Our  friend 
Lazarus  sleepeth  ;  but  I  go,  that  I  may  awake  him 

12  out  of  sleep.     Then  said  his  disciples,  Lord,  if    he 

13  sleep,  he  shall  do  well.  Howbeit  Jesus  spake  of  his 
death  :    but    they   thought   that   he  had   spoken   of 

14  taking  of  rest  in  sleep.     Then  said  Jesus  unto  them 

15  plainly,  Lazarus  is  dead.  And  I  am  glad  for  your 
sakes  that  I  was  not  there,   to  the  intent  ye  may 

16  believe  ;  nevertheless  let  us  go  unto  him.  Then  said 
Thomas,  which  is  called  Didymus,  unto  his  fellow- 
disciples,  I>et  us  also  go,  that  we  may  die  with  him. 

1.  Lazarus.  Not  mentioned  by  Luke  in  his 
reference  to  the  family  (Luke  10).  Bethany  is 
now  named  El'  Azeriyeh^  which  embodies  the 
name  of  Lazarus  in  its  Arabic  form.  Bethany 
itself  is  somewhat  less  than  two  miles  from 
Jerusalem  (v.  18),  on  the  slope  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives.  The  name  means  either  ''  house  of  dates  " 
or  ^'  house  of  the  poor." 

2.  The  anointing  was  yet  to  take  place  (12.  3), 


St.  John  147 

but   the    tradition  of  it  was  well    known   in    the 
Church  when  John  wrote. 

3.  The  sisters  make  no  explicit  appeal :  they 
merely  acquaint  Jesus  with  the  fact  of  their 
brother's  illness^  feeling  that  this  would  be 
enough. 

4.  not  unto  death.     Compare  9.  .". 

6,  7.  therefore.  Vv.  6  and  7  must  be  taken 
together,  and  both  as  following  upon  v.  4. 
because  the  glory  of  God  was  to  be  shown  in  the 
raising  of  Lazarus,  ^^ therefore"  there  was  delay, 
and  ^^ after  that" — only  then — did  Jesus  prepare 
to  go. 

8-10.  The  timidity  of  the  disciples  was  very 
natural.  The  saying  of  Jesus  (vv.  9,  10)  is  a  little 
obscure,  and  evidently  comes  out  of  a  profound 
movement  of  thought.  Broadly  speaking,  it  means 
this.  There  is  the  light  of  duty,  of  God's  will, 
shining  upon  Me  ("Are  there  not  twelve  hours," 
etc.),  and  so  long  as  I  walk  in  that  and  am 
obedient,  no  real  harm  can  come,  even  though 
enemies  should  do  their  worst.  But  if  I  neglected 
the  call,  there  would  be  disaster,  even  though 
safety  of  a  sort  were  kept.  In  other  words,  it  was 
better,  and  in  a  spiritual  sense  safer,  to  face  the 
danger  involved  in  obedience  than  to  secure 
material  safety  at  the  cost  of  faithlessness. 

11.  Here  Jesus  enunciates  what  has  since  been 
the  Christian  view  of  death. 

12,  13.  The  purpose  of  the  disciples'  remark  was 
to  deter  Jesus  from  going.  As  on  many  other 
occasions,  their  literal  interpretation  of  Jesus' 
words  led  them  astray. 

14,  15.  There  is  here  a  sort  of  impatience  with 
the  slowness  of  the  disciples.     And  Jesus  turns  to 


148  Westminster  New  Testament 

the  work  which  has  now  to  be  done  ("  let  us  go  ") 
feeling  that  through  this  their  enlightenment 
will  come. 

16.  Thomas  .  .  .  Didymus.  Both  names 
signify  the  same  thing,  the  first  being  Hebrew, 
and  the  second  Greek,  for  ''  twin."  Thomas  is 
evidently  still  possessed  by  the  idea  of  danger ; 
but  the  timidity  of  v.  8  has  now  given  place  to 
something  like  the  courage  of  despair. 

(B)  17-44.  The  Miracle. 

17  Then   when    Jesus    came,    he    found    that    he    had 

1 8  lain  in  the  grave  four  days  already.  Now  Bethany 
was    nigh    unto    Jerusalem,    about    fifteen    furlongs 

19  off  :  and  many  of  the  Jews  came  to  Martha  and 
Mary,    to   comfort    them   concerning    their    brother. 

20  Then  Martha,  as  soon  as  she  heard  that  Jesus  was 
coming,  went  and  met  him  :    but  Mary  sat  still  in 

21  the  house.  Then  said  Martha  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  if 
thou   hadst  been  here,   my  brother   had    not    died. 

22  But  I  know,  that  even  now,  whatsoever  thou  wilt 

23  ask  of  God,  God  will  give  it  th'ee.     Jesus  saith  unto 

24  her,  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again.  Martha  saith 
unto  him,   I   know   that   he  shall  rise  again  in  the 

25  resurrection  at  the  last  day.  Jesus  said  unto  her,  I 
am  the  resurrection,  and  the  life  :  he  that  believeth 
in   me,    though    he   were    dead,    yet    shall   he   live : 

26  and    whosoever    liveth    and    believeth   in    me    shall 

27  never  die.  Believeth  thou  this  ?  She  saith  unto 
him.  Yea,  Lord  :  I  believe  that  thou  art  the  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God,  which  should  come  into  the  world. 

28  And  when  she  had  so  said,  she  went  her  way,  and 
called  Mary  her  sister  secretly,  saying.  The  Master 

29  is  come,  and  calleth  for  thee.     As  soon  as  she  heard 

30  that,  she  arose  quickly,  and  came  unto  him.  Now 
Jesus  was  not  yet  come  into  the  town,  but  was  in 


St.  John  149 

31  that  place  where  Martha  met  him.  The  Jews  then 
which  were  with  her  in  the  house,  and  comforted 
her,  when  they  saw  Mary,  that  she  rose  up  hastily 
and  went  out,  followed  her,  saying,  She  goeth  unto 

32  the  grave  to  weep  there.  Then  when  Mary  was 
come  where  Jesus  was,  and  saw  him,  she  fell  down 
at   his  feet,  saying  unto  him.  Lord,  if    thou    hadst 

33  been  here,  my  brother  had  not  died.     When  Jesus 
^   .  therefore  saw  her  weeping,  and  the  Jews  also  weeping 

which  came  with  her,  he  groaned  in  the  spirit,  and 

34  was  troubled,  and  said.  Where  have  ye  laid   him  ? 

35  They  said   unto  him,  Lord,  come   and   see.     Jesus 

36  wept.     Then   said  the   Jews,  Behold   how  he  loved 
IJ  him  !     And  some  of  them  said.  Could  not  this  man, 

which  opened    the  eyes  of    the  blind,  have  caused 

38  that  even  this  man  should  not  have  died  ?  Jesus 
therefore  again  groaning  in  himself  cometh  to  the 
grave.     It   was   a  cave,    and   a  stone   lay  upon  it. 

39  Jesus  said.  Take  ye  away  the  stone,  Martha,  the 
sister  of  him  that  was  dead,  saith  unto  him.  Lord, 
by  this  time  he  stinketh  :  for  he  hath  been  dead  four 

40  days.  Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Said  I  not  unto  thee, 
that,  if  thou  wouldest  believe,   thou  shouldest  see 

41  the  glory  of  God  ?  Then  they  took  away  the  stone 
from  the  place  where  the  dead  was  laid.  And  Jesus 
Ufted  up  his  eyes,  and  said,  Father,  I  thank  thee 

42  that  thou  hast  heard  me.  And  I  knew  that  thou 
hearest  me  always  :  but  because  of  the  people  which 
stand  by  I  said  it,  that  they  may  believe  that  thou 

43  hast  sent  me.     And  when   he  thus  had  spoken,  he 

44  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  Lazarus,  come  forth.  And 
he  that  was  dead  came  forth,  bound  hand  and  foot 
with  graveclothes  :  and  his  face  was  bound  about 
with  a  napkin.  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Loose  him, 
and  let  him  go. 

17.  Burial  took  place  on  the  day  of  death. 


ISO  Westminster  New  Testament 

19.  During  seven  days — which  was  the  period 
of  mourning — visits  of  condolence  were  paid. 

20-22.  Martha's  mood  is  one  of  eagerness  to  see 
Jesus,  together  with  some  sHght  feeling  of  reproach 
towards  Him  because  He  had  not  come  earlier 
(this  seems  to  be  implied  in  v.  21).  She  has  some 
vague  idea  that  even  now  Jesus  may  do  something, 
although  any  hope  that  He  may  restore  Lazarus 
has  not  entered  into  her  mind. 

23,  24.  Jesus  endeavours,  without  a  direct  state- 
ment as  to  what  He  is  going  to  do,  to  rouse  that 
hope  within  her.  Martha,  however,  interprets  the 
remark  in  v.  23  in  its  most  general  sense. 

I  know  that  he  shall  rise  again.  Although 
any  faith  in  immortality  was  very  vague,  yet  a 
belief  in  a  resurrection  was  prevalent  among  many 
Jews. 

25,  26.  Once  more  Jesus  enunciates  the  great 
doctrine  that  He  has  "life  in  Himself,"  and  that 
a  believer's  identification  with  Him  secures  the 
believer  against  death. 

27.  Martha  does  not  understand,  but  she  knows 
that  what  Jesus  says  must  be  true.  For  she  is 
sure  of  Him,  sure  as  to  who  and  what  He  is. 

28-31.  secretly.  Martha  wished  Mary  to  see 
Jesus  first  of  all  without  anyone  else  being  present, 
and  accordingly  calls  her  away  without  letting  the 
sympathisers  present  hear  Avhat  is  said.  They, 
however,  mistaking  the  purpose  of  Mary's  move- 
ment (v.  31),  follow  her. 

33-37.  he  groaned  in  the  spirit.  The  word 
translated  "groaned"  is  used  for  various  intense 
emotions,  and  frequently  connotes  the  idea  of 
indignation.  Here  (and  in  v.  38)  there  may  have 
been    indignation    against    the    power    of    death. 


St.  John  151 

together  with  profound  pity  for  the  iiiourners. 
Also  there  must  have  been  a  sense  of  the  greatness 
of  the  conflict  in  which  Jesus  was  about  to  engage. 
For  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  this  or  any  other 
miracle  of  Jesus  cost  Him  nothing  in  the  way  of 
stress  and  pain.  V.  35  must  be  conjoined  with 
the  '^groaned"  of  v.  33  in  order  fully  to  com- 
prehend Jesus'  emotion.  It  was  natural  that  the 
sight  of  this  deep  feeling  on  the  part  of  Jesus 
should  stir  something  like  sympathy  in  some  of 
the  onlookers  (v.  36).  But  others,  hostile  to  Him, 
and  perhaps  looking  out  for  an  opportunity  of 
criticism,  object  that  the  power  which  He  was 
always  claiming  for  Himself  ought  to  have  been 
employed  to  avert  this  calamity  (v.   37). 

40.  This  observation  has  not  been  recorded  in 
the  earlier  part  of  the  conversation.  But  the 
reference  may  be  to  vv.  23-26,  in  which  the 
promise,  though  not  understood  by  Martha,  had 
been  given. 

41,  42.  In  this  miracle,  as  in  all  others,  Jesus 
depends  upon  His  Father  for  power.  And  here 
He  is  specially  desirous  of  impressing  this  fact 
upon  those  that  stood  by.  Hence  He  audibly 
addresses  Himself  to  God  in  prayer.  It  is  one 
of  the  signs  of  uniqueness  in  Jesus  that  He  claims 
nothing  for  Himself  apart  from  the  Father.  It  is 
the  Father  abiding  in  Him  that  doeth  the  works. 

43,  44.  The  simplicity  of  the  narrative,  when 
one  remembers  the  greatness  of  the  event,  is 
noteworthy.  The  Evangelist  makes  no  attempt 
to  heighten  the  natural  impression  of  the  story — 
uses,  so  to  say,  no  special  notes  of  exclamation. 
His  own  feeling,  doubtless — and,  as  he  hoped,  the 
feeling  of  readers  who  had  read  thus  far — was  that 


152  Westminster  New  Testament 

the  miracle  was  an  entirely  natural  thing  for  such 
an  one  as  Jesus  to  do. 


John  II.  45-57. 
THE  CONSEQUENCES  OF  THE  MIRACLE. 

45  Then  many  of  the  Jews  which  came  to  Mary,  and 
had  seen   the   things  wliich  Jesus  did,   beUeved  on 

46  him.  But  some  of  them  went  their  ways  to  the 
Pharisees,    and    told    them   what   tilings    Jesus   had 

47  done.  Then  gathered  the  chief  priests  and  the 
Pharisees  a  council,  and  said.  What  do  we  ?  for  this 

48  man  doeth  many  miracles.  If  we  let  him  thus 
alone,  all  men  will  beheve  on  him  :  and  the  Romans 
shall  come  and  take  away  both  our  place  and  nation. 

49  And  one  of  them,  named  Caiaphas,  being  the  high 
priest   that   same  year,   said   unto   them.   Ye  know 

50  nothing  at  all,  nor  consider  that  it  is  expedient 
for  us,  that  one  man  should  die  for  the  people,  and 

51  that  the  whole  nation  perish  not.  And  this  spake 
he  not  of  himself  :  but  being  high  priest  that  year, 
he  prophesied  that  Jesus  should  die  for  that  nation  ; 

52  and  not  for  that  nation  only,  but  that  also  he 
should  gather  together  in  one  the  children  of  God 

53  that  were  scattered  abroad.  Then  from  that  day 
forth  they  took  counsel  together  for  to  put  him  to 

54  death.  Jesus  therefore  walked  no  more  openly 
among  the  Jews ;  but  went  thence  unto  a  country 
near  to  the  wilderness,  into  a  city  called  Ephraim, 

55  and  there  continued  with  his  disciples.  And  the 
Jews'  passover  was  nigh  at  hand  :  and  many  went 
out  of  the  country  up  to  Jerusalem  before  the  pass- 

56  over,  to  purify  themselves.  Then  sought  they  for 
Jesus,  and  spake  among  themselves,  as  they  stood 


St.  John  153 

in  the  temple,  What  think  ye,  that  he  will  not  come 
57  to  the  feast  ?  Now  both  the  chief  priests  and  the 
Pharisees  had  given  a  commandment,  that,  if  any 
man  knew  where  he  were,  he  should  shew  it,  that 
they  might  take  him. 

These  verses  show  that  the  raising  of  Lazarus 
marked  a  very  definite  stage  in  the  development 
of  hostility  to  Jesus  on  the  part  of  the  Jewish 
authorities.  Clearly  it  was  necessary,  if  they 
were  to  maintain  their  position,  to  take  energetic 
measures.  Such  an  event  as  the  raising  of  the 
dead  would  be  bound  to  draw  many  to  Jesus'  side 
— as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Jews  who  were  with 
Mary  believed  (v.  45).  It  is  specially  noteworthy 
that  the  "  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees " 
are  now  spoken  of  as  the  instigators  of  hostile 
measures  (vv.  47,  57),  and  the  order  of  terms  is 
significant.  The  "chief  priests"  were  the  Saddu- 
caean  party ;  and  the  Sadducees  were  the  deniers 
of  the  resurrection.  The  resurrection  of  Lazarus, 
or  the  report  of  it,  would  consequently  be  specially 
offensive  to  them.  For  this  reason,  also,  the  Sad- 
ducees, in  the  early  days  of  the  Christian  Church, 
were  distinguished  for  the  violence  of  their  hatred. 
A  gospel  based  on  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Him- 
self they  were  compelled  to  oppose. 

45,  46.  Then  many  of  the  Jews  which,  etc. 
Properly,  "many  of  the  Jews — those  w^hich,"  etc., 
meaning  that  all  the  witnesses  of  the  miracle 
believed.  Those  that  went  to  the  Pharisees,  as 
recorded  in  v.  46,  must  have  done  so  with  a  mis- 
taken hope  of  convincing  them  on  Jesus'  behalf. 

47,  48.  a  council.  That  is,  a  full  meeting  of 
the  Sanhedrin. 


154  Westminster  New  Testament 

What  do  we?  May  be  paraphrased  colloquially, 
"This  v.ill  not  do."  It  is  to  be  noticed  that  they 
do  not  attempt  to  deny  the  miracle — in  fact,  the 
concluding  phrase  in  v.  47  looks  like  an  admission 
of  its  reality. 

If  we  let  him  thus  alone,  etc.  Their  fear 
was  that  a  popular  uprising  in  favour  of  Jesus 
might  lead  to  Roman  interference,  and  then  they 
would  lose  their  position  (they  put  "our  place" 
first).  The  Romans  allowed  the  national  religions 
of  conquered  nations  to  remain,  subject  to  certain 
conditions.  But  if  Jesus  succeeded,  these  Pharisees 
and  Sadducees  would  no  more  be  representatives 
of  the  national  religion  at  all. 

49,  50.  The  utterance  of  Caiaphas  is  merely  an 
expression  of  policy.  "  Never  mind  the  right  or 
wrong  of  the  thing.  Let  this  man  be  sacrificed 
for  the  sake  of  the  whole  people." 

51,  52.  The  Evangelist  sees  a  deeper  significance 
in  Caiaphas'  words.  It  was  really  a  revelation 
of  profound  truth  that  he  was  all  unknowingly 
making,  and  thus,  while  unfaithful  to  his  high- 
priestly  office,  he  was  nevertheless  fulfilling  its 
functions.  For  the  high  priest  deciphered  and 
proclaimed  the  oracles  of  God.  In  v.  52  John 
expands  the  spiritual  idea  drawn  from  Caiaphas' 
words  so  as  to  cover  the  world. 

53.  The  utterance  of  Caiaphas  banished  what- 
ever hesitation  or  uncertainty  there  may  have 
been.  He  had  given  an  appearance  of  virtue  to 
any  measures  that  might  be  taken  against  Jesus, 
and  that  was  enough. 

54.  Kphraim.  Probably  the  modern  El-Taiyibeh, 
a  Judaean  town  on  the  borders  of  Samaria,  about 
fourteen  miles  from  Jerusalem. 


St.  John 


155 


55-57.  These  verses  prove  how  much  interest 
had  been  aroused  by  the  report  of  the  raising  of 
Lazarus.  It  is  hardly  actual  hostility^  and  yet 
certainly  not  faith^  that  is  indicated  by  the  utter- 
ance of  V.  56,  but  a  sort  of  curiosity  that  had  little 
moral  quality  at  all. 

to  purify  themselves  (v.  55).  Preliminary 
purifications  were  necessary  before  the  celebration 
of  the  Passover  and  other  feasts.  In  2  Chron. 
30.  17-20  we  have  an  account  of  some  who  took 
part  in  the  feast  without  purifying  themselves, 
and  of  Hezekiah's  successful  intercession  on  their 
behalf. 


John  12.  i-ii. 

JESUS  AGAIN  AT  BETHANY. 

Then   Jesus  six  days  before   the  passover  came   to 
Bethany,  where  Lazarus  was  which  had  been  dead, 

2  whom  he  raised  from  the  dead.  There  they  made 
him  a  supper  ;  and  Martha  served  :  but  Lazarus 
was  one  of    them   that  sat  at  the  table   with  him. 

3  Then  took  Mary  a  pound  of  ointment  of  spikenard, 
very  costly,  and  anointed  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and 
wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair  :    and  the  house  was 

4  filled  with  the  odour  of  the  ointment.  Then  saith 
one   of    his   disciples,    Judas   Iscariot,    Simon's  son, 

5  which  should  betray  him.  Why  was  not  this  oint- 
ment sold  for  three  hundred  pence,  and  given  to  the 

6  poor  ?  This  he  said,  not  that  he  cared  for  the  poor  ; 
but  because  he  was  a  thief,  and  had  the  bag,  and 

7  bare  what  was  put  therein.  Then  said  Jesus,  Let 
her  alone  :  against  the  day  of  my  burying  hath  she 

8  kept  this.     For  the  poor  always  ye  have  with  you  ; 


156  Westminster  New  Testament 

9  but  me  ye  have  not  always.  Much  people  of  the 
Jews  therefore  knew  that  he  was  there  :  and  they 
came  not  for  Jesus'  sake  only,  but  that  they  might 
see    Lazarus   also,   whom    he    had   raised   from   the 

10  dead.     But    the    chief   priests   consulted    that    they 

1 1  might  put  Lazarus  also  to  death  ;  because  that  by 
reason  of  him  many  of  the  Jews  went  away,  and 
believed  on  Jesus. 

The  twelfth  chapter  must,  as  stated  above,  be 
taken  in  connection  with  the  eleventh,  inasmuch 
as  in  both  chapters  John  is  showing  the  attitude 
of  Jesus  towards  death.  From  this  point  of  view, 
the  salient  section  of  the  twelfth  chapter  is  con- 
tained in  vv.  1 2-36 ;  and  with  this  section  we 
shall  immediately  deal.  This  present  section  is 
preliminary.  It  serves  to  make  clear  the  historical 
continuity  of  the  events,  as  it  indicates  how  the 
interest  excited  by  the  raising  of  Lazarus  persisted 
(v.  9)j  thus  leading  on  to  the  acclamation  of  the 
multitudes  (the  result  and  manifestation  of  that 
interest)  at  the  entry  into  Jerusalem,  to  the  curio- 
sity of  the  Greeks,  and  to  the  utterance  concerning 
His  own  death  which  all  these  things  moved  Jesus 
to  make. 

The  synoptic  Gospels  appear  to  place  this  inci- 
dent only  two  days  previous  to  the  death  of  Jesus ; 
but  it  has  been  suggested  that  the  writers  wished 
to  show  its  connection  with  the  treachery  of  Judas, 
to  which  it  probably  gave  the  final  impulse.  The 
Fourth  Gospel  gives  the  chronological  order  of  the 
events.  As,  according  to  John,  the  Crucifixion 
occurred  on  Friday,  this  supper  took  place  on  the 
previous  Sabbath  evening. 

1,  2.  Matthew  and  Mark  tell  us  that  the  supper 
was  served  in  the  house  of  ^- Simon  the  leper." 


St.  John  J  57 

Perhaps  the  house  was  untenanted,  and  was  used 
for  the  occasion.  Simon,  if  a  leper,  could  not  have 
been  present  himself. 

3.  Mary.  The  name  is  not  mentioned  in  Matthew 
or  Mark. 

Spikenard.  An  Indian  product,  imported  into 
Palestine  from  early  times.  According  to  the 
Synoptics,  the  ointment  was  poured  on  the  head 
of  Jesus,  but  very  probably  both  head  and  feet 
were  anointed. 

4.  Judas  was  perhaps  the  spokesman  for  others 
besides  himself,  since  the  other  writers  attribute 
the  remark  to  the  ''  disciples,"  or  to  some  of  them. 
But  the  idea  expressed  was  just  what  the  mind  of 
Judas  would  entertain. 

6.  bare  what  was  put  therein.    Properly,  as 

in  R.V.,  "took  away" — that  is,  misappropriated. 
John  makes  the  charge  of  theft  categorically. 

7.  The  exact  translation  of  this  verse  is  diffi- 
cult. Probably  the  R.V.  gives  the  most  likely — 
"Suffer  her  to  keep  it  against  the  day  of  my 
burying."  This  implies  that  the  objection  of  Judas 
and  the  rejoinder  of  Jesus  were  made  before  the 
whole  of  the  ointment  had  been  poured  forth. 
"  Do  not  take  it  from  her  to  give  to  the  poor — let 
her  finish  what  she  has  begun."  In  any  case, 
Jesus  takes  Mary's  act  as  an  anointing  of  His  body 
for  the  sacrifice  soon  to  be  made. 

9-11.  Many  who  came  out  of  simple  curiosity 
to  see  Lazarus  were  driven  into  faith  when  they 
found  themselves  in  presence  of  Jesus.  And  this 
was  among  the  "  common  people  "  (R.V.),  on  whom 
the  enemies  of  Jesus  would  most  rely.  Little 
wonder  that  these  enemies  were  still  more  deeply 
stirred  to  hatred ! 


158  Westminster  New  Testament 


John  12.  12-36. 

THE  ENTRANCE  INTO  JERUSALEM  AND 
JESUS'  WELCOME  OF  DEATH. 

12  On  the  next  day  much  people  that  were  come  to  the 
feast,  when  they  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming  to 

13  Jerusalem,  took  branches  of  palm  trees,  and  went 
forth  to  meet  him,  and  cried,  Hosanna  :  Blessed  is 
the  King  of  Israel  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 

14  Lord.     And   Jesus,   when   he    had   found    a    young 

15  ass,  sat  thereon  ;  as  it  is  written.  Fear  not,  daughter 
of  Sioii  :  behold,  thy  King  cometh,  sitting  on  an  ass's 

16  colt.  These  things  understood  not  his  disciples 
at  the  first  :  but  when  Jesus  was  glorified,  then 
remembered  they  that  these  things  were  written  of 
him,    and   that    they   had   done    these    things    unto 

17  him.  The  people  therefore  that  was  with  him 
when  he  called  Lazarus  out  of  his  grave,  and  raised 

18  him  from  the  dead,  bare  record.  For  this  cause  the 
people   also  met  him,  for   that  they  heard  that  he 

19  had  done  this  miracle.  The  Pharisees  therefore 
said  among  themselves,  Perceive  ye  how  ye  prevail 
nothing  ?     Behold,    the    world    is    gone    after    him. 

20  And   there  were   certain   Greeks  among   them    that 

21  came  up  to  worship  at  the  feast  :  the  same  came 
therefore  to  Philip,  which  was  of  Bethsaida  of 
Galilee,  and  desired  him,  saying,  Sir,  we  would  see 

22  Jesus.     Philip    cometh    and    telleth    Andrew :    and 
2^  again    Andrew   and    Philip    tell    Jesus.     And    Jesus 

answered  them,  saying,  The  hour  is  come,  that  the 

24  Son  of  man  should  be  glorified.  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you.  Except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall  into 
the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone  :  but  if  it  die,  it 

25  bringeth  forth  much  fruit.  He  that  loveth  his  life 
shall  lose  it  ;  and  he  that  hateth  his  Ufe  in  this  world 

26  shall  keep  it  unto  life  eternal.     If  any  man  serve  me, 


St.  John  159 

let  him  follow  me ;  and  where  I  am,  there  shall  also 
my  servant  be  :  if  any  man  serve  me,  him  will  my 

27  Father  honour.  Now  is  my  soul  troubled  ;  and 
what  shall  I  say  ?     Father,  save  me  from  this  hour  : 

28  but  for  this  cause  came  I  unto  this  hour.  Father, 
glorify  thy  name.  Then  came  there  a  voice  from 
heaven,   saying,    I   have  both  glorified   it,  and  will 

29  glorify  it  again.  The  people  therefore,  that  stood 
by,  and   heard  it,  said   that   it    thundered :    others 

30  said,  An  angel  spake  to  him.  Jesus  answered  and 
said,  This  voice  came  not  because  of  me,  but  for 

31  your  sakes.     Now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world  : 

32  now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out.  And 
I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men 

33  unto  me.     This  he   said,  signifying  what   death  he 

34  should  die.  The  people  answered  him.  We  have 
heard  out  of  the  law  that  Christ  abideth  for  ever  : 
and   how  sayest   thou.   The  Son   of    man   must   be 

35  lifted  up  ?  who  is  this  Son  of  man  ?  Then  Jesus 
said  unto  them,  Yet  a  little  while  is  the  light  with 
you.  Walk  while  ye  have  the  light,  lest  darkness  come 
upon  you  :  for  he  that  walketh  in  darkness  knoweth 

26  not  whither  he  goeth.  While  ye  have  light,  believe 
in  the  light,  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of  light. 
These  things  spake  Jesus,  and  departed,  and  did  hide 
himself  from  them. 

It  may  at  first  sight  seem  that  this  section  should 
be  divided  at  v.  19,  and  that  vv.  12-19  are  more 
closely  connected  with  what  has  gone  before  than 
with  vv.  20-36.  From  the  strictly  historical  point 
of  view^  this  is  so^  for  the  acclamation  of  the  multi- 
tude was  another  sign  of  the  interest  stirred  up  by 
the  miracle  of  Bethany.  But  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that^  as  previously  stated,  we  have  in  the 
eleventh  and  twelfth  chapters  John's   account  of 


i6o  Westminster  New  Testament 

Jesus'  attitude  towards  death.  And  this  is  best 
brought  out  by  taking  12.  12-36  as  one  whole.  In 
the  eleventh  chapter  we  have  seen  Jesus  triumph- 
ing over  death — His  own  death,  therefore,  must 
have  been  a  voluntary  laying  down  of  life.  In  this 
section  we  have  Jesus  actually  welcoming  death, 
since  it  will  be  the  means  of  making  His  work 
universal  (v.  32).  From  the  excitement  of  the 
triumphal  entry,  and  from  the  visit  of  the  Greeks, 
Jesus  turns  to  the  contrasted  thought  of  death — 
not  in  sadness,  but  in  joy.  For  by  His  dying  He 
will  draw,  not  a  few,  as  He  was  doing  then,  but 
all.  That  life-giving  power  of  His,  whereof  He 
has  spoken  so  often,  will  be  emancipated  from  all 
restrictions  of  place  when  He  has  submitted  to 
and  conquered  the  Cross.  So  long  as  He  was  in 
the  flesh,  the  ministry  of  Jesus  was  necessarily  local. 
But  after  His  death,  it  w'ould  be  by  a  linking  of 
themselves  with  His  spirit — everywhere  present, 
then — that  men  would  receive  His  gift  of  life. 
And  Jesus  therefore  rejoices  even  in  the  Cross. 
His  welcome  of  it  is  a  practical  result  and  applica- 
tion of  what  He  has  said  in  chapter  6.  In  6.  53 
He  has  said  that  life  comes  by  ''  eating  His  flesh 
and  drinking  His  blood."  Yet  in  6.  63  He  declares 
that  it  is  the  spirit  that  quickeneth.  And  that 
spirit-quickening  would  be  world-wide  after  He  had 
died. 

13.  The  shout  of  the  multitude  implies  a  recog- 
nition of  Jesus  as  the  Messiah.  For  the  words  cited 
by  the  people  are  from  a  Messianic  Psalm  (Ps.  1 1 8), 
the  last  of  the  "  Hallel "  psalms  (this  and  the  five 
preceding)  which  were  sung  in  procession  round 
the  altar  at  the  great  feasts. 

14,  15.   By  thus  riding  into   the  city  (as   if  in 


St.  John  i6i 

fulfilment  of  Zech.  9-  9)  Jesus  accepts  the  homage 
rendered  to  Him  as  Messiah.  The  ass — held  in 
much  greater  account  in  the  East  than  with  us 
— is  the  symbol  of  the  peace  to  be  ushered  in  by 
Messiah's  reign.  It  is  contrasted  with  the  horse, 
the  symbol  of  war. 

1 6.  The  usual  dulness  on  the  part  of  the  disciples. 
This  is,  of  course,  one  of  the  Evangelist's  frequent 
explanatory  interjections. 

17-19-  John  returns  for  a  moment  to  the  purely< 
historical  thread  of  the  story,  as  if  wishing  to 
remind  his  readers  of  this  before  going  on  to  speak 
of  the  movement  of  Jesus'  mind  at  the  time  of 
these  events.  The  mood  of  the  people  (vv.  17,  18) 
and  that  of  the  Pharisees  (v.  19)  is  to  be  borne 
in  mind. 

20-22.  Greeks.  That  is,  Gentiles  by  birth — 
not  "Grecian  Jews,"  Jews  living  among  the 
Gentiles.  But  inasmuch  as  they  were  come  to 
worship  at  the  feast,  they  were  clearly  proselytes. 

Philip  .  .  .  Andrew.  These  two  were  of  the 
same  town,  Bethsaida  in  Galilee.  Philip's  name 
being  Greek  would  lead  the  inquirers  to  him. 
And  Philip,  perhaps  not  caring  to  perform  the 
introduction  alone,  would  naturally  seek  his  fellow- 
townsman. 

23-25.  It  is  interesting  to  follow  the  thought  of 
Jesus.  It  might  be  supposed  that  this  advent  of 
the  Gentile  inquirers  marked  His  hour  of  glory. 
And  indeed  it  did  this,  though  not  in  the  way 
onlookers  might  imagine.  This  visit  of  the  Greeks 
indicated  how  wide  was  the  interest  Jesus  had 
roused.  But  His  glory  lay  in  turning  away  from 
this  to  His  death.  And  so,  although  "  the  hour  is 
come,"  etc.  (v.  23),  Jesus  goes  on  to  speak  of  the 
II 


i62  Westminster  New  Testament 

true  glory  that  is  coming  to  Him  by  dying,  and 
of  the  necessity  of  submitting  to  death  that  the 
true  gloiy  may  be  won  (v.  24),  and  enunciates  the 
great  rule  of  dying  to  live  (v.  25)  which  embodies 
one  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Christian 
Gospel. 

26.  Turning  for  a  moment  from  Himself  to  His 
disciples,  Jesus  declares  that  they  must  be  prepared 
for  the  same  "  glorification  "  as  He — the  glorifica- 
tion of  sacrifice. 

27.  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour.  Jesus 
turns  back  to  Himself  again.  As  they  stand,  these 
words  appear  to  embody  a  supplication  of  Jesus — 
as  if  for  an  instant  He  hesitated  before  His 
approaching  fate.  But  this  is  not  in  harmony  with 
the  exalted  mood  which  all  these  verses  reveal. 
The  words  are  best  read  interrogatively.  "What 
shall  I  say  ?  Shall  I  say.  Father,  save  me  from  this 
hour  ?  (the  hour  when  He  turns  from  the  lower 
glory  to  the  higher).  Nay,  I  cannot  say  that,  for 
it  was  for  this  purpose  that  I  came  to  this  hour." 

28,29.  Father,  glorify  thy  name.  "Do  Thou 
be  glorified  by  My  surrender  of  the  lower  glory." 
By  Jesus'  accepting  of  the  true  glory,  God  Himself 
would  be  glorified.  This  is  what,  answering  His 
own  question  ("  What  shall  I  say  ?  "),  Jesus  chooses 
to  say. 

Whatever  sound  was  heard  in  reply,  many  of  the 
people  took  it  as  something  supernatural,  and  the 
words  of  those  who  said  that  it  thundered  seem 
like  an  attempt  to  explain  the  voice  away. 

30-33.  The  voice,  not  needed  by  Jesus  Himself, 
was  meant  to  assure  the  disciples  that  the  death 
to  which  Jesus  was  going  was  indeed  a  "glori- 
fying," not  a  defeat.     Yet,  though   He  had  not 


St.  John  163 

Himself  needed  this  proof  of  the  acceptance  of  His 
self-devotion,  Jesus  goes  on  after  it  to  speak  in  yet 
more  ringing  tones,  declaring  that  at  this  moment 
—  when  He  offered  Himself  and  when  God 
accepted  the  offering — the  victory  over  evil  was 
won  (v.  31).  And  it  was  to  be  no  limited  or 
circumscribed  victory,  such  as  the  triumph  just  now 
attained  in  the  applause  of  the  multitudes  and  the 
visit  of  the  Greeks.  It  would  be  the  drawing  of 
"  all  men,"  not  of  a  few.  On  this,  see  above,  in 
introduction  to  this  section. 

34.  The  people,  lately  acclaiming  Jesus,  are  at 
once  thrown  into  doubt  by  His  allusion  to  His 
coming  death.  It  does  not  square  with  their 
theories.  Can  they  have  been  mistaken  after  all  ? 
It  shows  how  lightly  based  had  been  their  professed 
faith. 

The  Son  of  man.  It  was  in  v.  23  that  Jesus 
had  called  Himself  by  this  name.  And  the  people 
had  acclaimed  Him  as  the  Christ — yet  now  He  says 
that  He  is  going  to  be  "lifted  up."  They  cannot 
reconcile  the  ideas.  Is  the  wSon  of  man  after  all  not 
the  Christ  ?     "  Who  is  this  Son  of  man  }  " 

S5,  oQ.  The  point  of  Jesus'  reply  is  that  they  are 
not  to  concern  themselves  with  merely  speculative 
difficulties,  but  to  accept  the  spiritual  illumination 
which  He  brings.  And  it  is  with  the  solemn 
warning  that  they  may  easily  delay  too  long 
that  the  public  ministry  of  Jesus  comes  here  to  its 
close.  Like  the  sun  going  down.  He  "  departed, 
and  did  hide  himself  from  them."  So  far  as  His 
physical  presence  was  concerned,  the  darkness 
against  which  He  had  warned  them  was  already 
descending. 


i64  Westminster  New  Testament 


John  12.  37-43. 

SUMMARY  OF  THE  RESULTS  OF  JESUS' 
MINISTRY. 

'i)^  But  though  he  had  done  so  many  miracles  before 

38  them,  yet  they  beUeved  not  on  him :  that  the 
saying  of  Esaias  the  prophet  might  be  fulfilled, 
which  he  spake,  Lord,  who  hath  believed  our  report  ? 
and   to    whom   hath    the    arm    of    the   Lord   been   ve- 

39  vealed  ?     Therefore  they  could  not  believe,  because 

40  that  Esaias  said  again.  He  hath  blinded  their  eyes, 
and  hardened  their  heart  ;  that  they  should  not  see 
with  their  eyes,  nor  understand  with  their  heart,  and 

41  be  converted,  and  I  should  heal  them.  These  things 
said    Esaias,  when  he  saw  his  glory,  and  spake  of 

42  him.  Nevertheless  among  the  chief  rulers  also 
many  believed  on  him  ;  but  because  of  the  Pharisees 
they  did   not  confess  him,  lest  they  should  be  put 

43  out  of  the  synagogue  :  for  they  loved  the  praise  of 
men  more  than  the  praise  of  God. 

This  section,  like  the  following  one  (vv.  44-50),  is 
not  a  continuation  of  the  history,  but  a  parenthesis 
inserted  by  the  Evangelist.  It  records  in  brief 
summary  the  effects  which  the  preaching  and  work 
of  Jesus  had  upon  the  hearts  and  minds  of  the 
Jews. 

37.  SO  many  miracles.  John  only  records 
seven  miracles,  but  a  knowledge  of  the  synoptic 
accounts  is  everywhere  assumed. 

38.  See  Isa.  5S.  1.  Of  course  the  words, 
"  that  the  saying  of  Esaias  the  prophet  might  be 
fulfilled,"  must  not  be  too  hardly  pressed.  They 
do  not  really  imply  that  the  Jews  were  compelled 
to  disbelieve  in  order  to  fulfil  the  prophecy.     The 


St.  John  165 

method  of  statement  is  characteristically  Jewish. 
Everything  is  looked  at  as  part  of  the  Divine 
eternal  scheme. 

39,  40.  See  Isa.  6.  9,  10.  Jesus  Himself 
is  reported  as  having  quoted  the  passage  in 
Matt.   13.   13-15. 

Therefore  they  could  not  believe.      The 

impossibility  was  a  moral  one.  They  could  not 
believe  because  the  moral  conditions  necessary  to 
faith  did  not  exist  in  them.  The  spiritual  nature, 
the  spiritual  instincts,  in  them  had  been  un- 
cultivated, indeed  crushed.  Of  course  there  have 
been  many  instances  of  "belief"  recorded  in 
the  progress  of  the  history,  as  we  have  seen  ;  but 
much  of  the  belief  has  been  superficial,  and  very 
little  of  it  has  endured. 

41.  when    he   saw    his    glory.      Properly, 

"  because,"  as  in  R.V. 

4-2.  even  of  the  rulers.  There  were  two 
of  whom  better  things  could  be  said — Nicodemus 
and  Joseph  of  Arimathaea. 

That  the  fear  which  led  them  to  silence  was  no 
vain  one,  may  be  gathered  by  referring  to  9.  22. 

43.  See  5.  44. 


John  12.  44-50. 
RECAPITULATION  OF  JESUS'  MESSAGE. 

44  Jesus   cried    and    said,    He    that    believeth   on    me, 
believeth    not    on    me,   but   on   him   that   sent   me. 

45  And    he    that    seeth    me    seeth   him   that   sent   me. 

46  I  am  come  a  Hght  into  the  world,  that  whosoever 

47  beheveth  on  me  should  not  abide  in  darkness.     And 


i66  Westminster  New  Testament 

if  any  man  hear  my  words,  and  believe  not,  I  judge 
him  not  :  for  I  came  not  to  judge  the  world,  but  to 

48  save  the  world.  He  that  rejecteth  me,  and  re- 
ceiveth  not  my  words,  hath  one  that  judgeth  him  : 
the  word  that  I  have  spoken,  the  same  shall  judge 

49  him  in  the  last  day.  For  I  have  not  spoken  of 
myself  ;  but  the  Father  which  sent  me,  he  gave  me 
a  commandment,  what  I  should  say,   and  what   I 

50  should  speak.  And  I  know  that  his  commandment 
is  life  everlasting :  whatsoever  I  speak  therefore,  even 
as  the  Father  said  unto  me,  so  I  speak. 

This  section — a  further  parenthesis  inserted  by 
the  Evangelist  before  he  resumes  the  actual 
narrative — is  a  brief  recapitulation  of  the  main 
ideas  in  the  teaching  of  Jesus.  It  reproduces  the 
principal  conceptions  which  we  have  already  met 
with  in  previous  chapters. 

44j  45.  This  repeats  the  conception  of  Jesus' 
entire  oneness  with  the  Father.  See  5.  19,  20 ; 
7.  28,  29  ;  8.  19,  and  many  other  passages. 

46.  See  8.  12  and  9-  5. 

47-49.  See  3.  17. 

50.  Finally^  we  come  once  more  upon  the  great 
central  conception  of"  life  " — the  conception  which 
dominates  the  entire  Gospel.  See  chapter  5  and 
following  chapters. 


John  13.  1-17. 

THE  UPPER  ROOM  :  JESUS  WASHES  THE 
DISCIPLES'  FEET. 

Now  before  the  feast  of  the  passover,  when  Jesus 
knew  that  his  hour  was  come  that  he  should  depart 
out   of   this   world   unto   the   Father,    having   loved 


St.  John  167 


his  own  which  were   in   the  world,  he    loved    them 

2  unto  the  end.  And  supper  being  ended,  the  devil 
having  now  put  into  the  heart  of  Judas  Iscariot, 

3  Simon's  son,  to  betray  him  ;  Jesus  knowing  that 
the  Father  had  given  all  things  into  his  hands,  and 
that   he  was   come   from    God,   and   went   to   God  ; 

4  he  riseth  from  supper,  and  laid  aside  his  garments  ; 

5  and  took  a  towel,  and  girded  himself.  After  that 
he  poureth  water  into  a  bason,  and  began  to  wash 
the  disciples'  feet,  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel 

6  wherewith  he  was  girded.  Then  cometh  he  to 
Simon  Peter  :   and  Peter  saith  unto  him.  Lord,  dost 

7  thou  wash  my  feet  ?  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  him,  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now  ;    but 

8  thou  shalt  know  hereafter.  Peter  saith  unto  him. 
Thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet.  Jesus  answered 
him.  If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  with  me. 

9  Simon  Peter  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  not  my  feet  only, 

10  but  also  my  hands  and  my  head.  Jesus  saith  to  him, 
He  that  is  washed  needeth  not  save  to  wash  his 
feet,  but  is  clean  every  whit  :  and  ye  are  clean,  but 

1 1  not    all.     For    he    knew  who   should    betray  him  ; 

12  therefore  said  he.  Ye  are  not  all  clean.  So  after 
he  had  washed  their  feet,  and  had  taken  his  garments, 
and  was  set  down  again,  he  said  unto  them,  Know 

13  ye  what  I  have  done  to  you  ?     Ye  call  me  Master 

14  and  Lord  :  and  ye  say  well ;  for  so  I  am.  If  I  then, 
your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your  feet  ;  ye 

15  also  ought  to  wash  one  another's  feet.  For  I  have 
given  you  an  example,  that  ye  should  do  as  I  have 

16  done  to  you.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  The 
servant  is  not  greater  than  his  lord  ;  neither  he  that 

17  is  sent  greater  than  he  that  sent  him.  If  ye  know 
these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them. 

In  chapters   13-16   the  Evangelist  gives  us  the 
final  utterances  of  Jesus  to  His  disciples^  and  in 


i68  Westminster  New  Testament 

chapter  17  to  His  Father,  previous  to  His  passion 
(see  on  14.  31).  The  chapters  are  closely  related 
to  John's  main  purpose,  in  that  they  reveal  how 
entirely  unique  is  Jesus  in  His  bearing  under  the 
shadow  of  death.  Jesus  fixes  His  whole  thought, 
not  upon  Himself,  but  upon  His  disciples ;  and 
His  chief  concern  is  that  the  true  spirit  shall  dwell 
in  them  after  He  is  gone,  and  that  they  shall  not 
be  made  too  desolate  by  their  loss.  In  the  present 
section  He  gives  them  an  example  of  humility,  thus 
inculcating  the  spirit  of  lowliness  and  brotherly 
service.  Chapters  14-16  contain,  as  we  shall  see, 
the  words  that  come  out  of  Jesus'  profound  pity 
for  the  disciples,  and  out  of  His  desire  to  console 
them.  All  through,  John  is  endeavouring  to  show 
how,  in  the  whole  attitude  and  spirit  of  Jesus,  at 
the  crisis  of  His  fate,  there  is  something  not  of  this 
earth.  Jesus  has  no  trouble  for  Himself,  makes  no 
attempt  to  prove  to  His  followers  how  great  He  is 
in  spite  of  the  death  that  is  coming.  It  is  upon 
the  disciples  and  their  future  that  His  thought 
ceaselessly  centres. 
1.  Now  before  the  feast,  etc.     We   come 

here  upon  a  question  which  has  stirred  a  great 
deal  of  controversy,  the  question  as  to  the  time  of 
the  Last  Supper  and  of  the  Crucifixion.  According 
to  John,  the  Last  Supper  was  partaken  of  before  the 
Passover,  and  Jesus  was  slain  at  the  same  time  as 
the  paschal  lamb.  According  to  the  Synoptics, 
the  Supper  was  eaten  at  the  time  of  the  Passover 
feast  itself.  It  is  assumed,  of  course,  that  the 
meal  described  by  John  is  the  same  as  that  described 
by  the  Synoptists — the  meal  at  which  the  Sacrament 
was  instituted,  although  of  the  Eucharist  itself 
John  says  nothing.     A  great  deal  of  ingenuity  has 


St.  John  169 

been  expended  by  some  in  proving  that  John  is 
in  line  with  the  Synoptists  (Hofmann,  Langen, 
Tholuck,  etc.),  and  by  others  in  proving  that  the 
Synoptists  are  in  Hne  with  John  (Godet,  Chwolson, 
etc.).  Perhaps  this  is  enough  to  indicate  that  a 
satisfactory  reconciliation  is  impossible.  Neither  is 
it  necessary,  except  on  a  strict  theory  of  verbal 
inspiration  which  very  few  hold.  It  may  be  said, 
however,  that  a  careful  study  of  the  matter  leads  to 
the  conclusion  that  John's  chronological  arrange- 
ment is  more  probably  the  correct  one.  The  supper, 
therefore,  took  place  on  the  13th  Nisan,  the  day 
before  the  Passover  lamb  was  slain.  Dr.  Sanday 
has  a  brief  section  on  the  matter  (in  his  Criticism 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel)  which  in  small  compass 
gives  the  essential  reasons  for  deciding  in  John's 
favour. 

to  the  end.  Properly,  "  to  the  uttermost." 
That  is,  as  stated  above,  it  was  thought  for  the 
disciples  which,  even  when  His  own  death  was 
nigh,  absorbed  the  mind  and  heart  of  Jesus. 

2.  And  supper  being  ended.  Properly,  as  in 
R.  v.,  "  during  supper."  The  supper  was  not  ended, 
as  vv.  12,  25,  and  26  indicate. 

having  now,  etc.  Again  the  R.V.  has  correctly, 
"  having  already."  This  makes  the  point  clear. 
Jesus  saw  that  already  the  evil  purpose  was  fixed 
in  Judas,  and  yet  His  love,  unimpaired,  prompted 
Him  to  persist  in  the  lowly  service  He  was  about  to 
render,  and  in  the  gracious  words  He  was  about 
to  speak. 

3.  knowing  that  the  Father  had  given,  etc. 
Throughout,  Jesus  has  a  sense  of  elevation,  of 
victory.     Compare  v.  31. 

4.  5.  Although    the    sense   of    victory,   and    of 


I70  Westminster  New  Testament 

oneness  with  God,  was  so  strong  in  Him,  Jesus 
humbles  Himself. 

The  washing  of  the  feet  usually  took  place 
before  a  meal.  Perhaps  the  strife  between  the 
disciples  (see  Luke  22.  24)  occurred  in  connection 
with  a  question  as  to  who  should  perform  this 
service. 

his  garments.     The  outer  robe. 

6.  Both  '^  thou  "  and  "  my  "  are  emphatic.  Peter 
thinks  it  unfitting  that  the  Master  should  do  this. 
His  mood  was  in  a  manner  right,  yet  wrong.  He 
allows  his  humility  to  be  too  self-assertive. 

7.  Jesus  rebukes  Peter,  yet  with  gentleness.  It 
was  not  for  Peter  to  dictate  the  actions  of 
Jesus. 

8.  9.  In  answer  to  Peter's  persistence,  Jesus 
utters  a  stronger  word.  There  is  a  double  meaning 
in  it.  First  of  all,  it  signifies  that  unless  Peter 
enters  into  what  Jesus  is  doing,  the  lowly  spirit  of 
discipleship  is  not  in  him.  But  there  is  also  a  hint 
of  a  deeper  meaning.  Peter  must  be  cleansed 
of  sin — in  this  instance,  of  the  stubbornness  that  is 
in  him — if  he  is  to  be  truly  of  the  fellowship.  And 
Peter,  with  quick  change  of  feeling,  asks  for  more 
than  the  washing  of  his  feet. 

10,  11.  Jesus,  in  His  reply,  comes  back  to  the 
literal  aspect  of  the  matter.  The  reference  is 
to  the  fact  that,  after  the  bath,  the  feet  may 
contract  some  impurity  on  the  way  back,  and  need 
cleansing  again.  What  is  otherwise  implied  in 
Jesus'  words  is  that  the  cleansing  of  the  feet  of 
the  disciples  was  a  sufficiently  clear  symbol  of  the 
spirit  He  was  seeking  to  inculcate.  No  more  was 
called  for. 

ye  are  clean,  but  not  all.    Not  one  of  the 


St.  John  171 


discipleSj   of  course^   was   wholly  pure.     But    the 
phrase  is  relative.     There  was  only  one  traitor. 

12-14.  Although  the  sudden  reference  to  the 
one  who  is  not  clean  leads  Jesus  presently  to  speak 
of  the  coming  betrayal  (vv.  18-30)^  yet  at  the 
moment  He  is  chiefly  concerned  to  drive  home  the 
lesson  of  humility.  He  puts  the  other  topic  by,  to 
return  to  it  again. 

Know  ye  ?     Really,  ''  Do  you  understand  ?  " 
The  argument  of  vv.   13,   14  is  entirely  simple. 
If    Jesus,    the    Master,    can    do    this,    surely    the 
disciples  can  do  it  too. 

15.  The  example  was  not  intended  to  be 
necessarily  followed  in  literalness.  It  is  a  matter 
of  spirit  and  mood. 

16.  The  verse  embodies  a  truth  which  the 
Church  has  too  often  forgotten. 


John  13.  18-38. 

THE  UPPER  ROOM :  THE  ANNOUNCEMENT 
OF  THE  BETRAYAL. 

1 8  I  speak  not  of  you  all  :  I  know  whom  I  have  chosen  : 
but  that  the  scripture  may  be  fulfilled,  He  that  eateth 
bread  with  me  hath  lifted    up  his   heel  against  me. 

19  Now  I  tell  you  before  it  come,  that,  when  it  is  come 

20  to  pass,  ye  may  believe  that  I  am  he.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  receiveth  whomsoever 
I    send   receiveth   me ;    and    he    that   receiveth   me 

21  receiveth  him  that  sent  me.  When  Jesus  had 
thus  said,  he  was  troubled  in  spirit,  and  testified, 
and  said,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  one  of 

22  you  shall  betray  mc.     Then  the  disciples  looked  one 


172  Westminster  New  Testament 

2$  on  another,  doubting  of  whom  he  spake.  Now 
there  was  leaning  on  Jesus'  bosom  one  of  his  disciples, 

24  whom  Jesus  loved.  Simon  Peter  therefore  beckoned 
to  him,  that  he  should  ask  who  it  should  be  of  whom 

25  he  spake.     He  then  lying  on  Jesus'  breast  saith  unto 

26  him,  Lord,  who  is  it  ?  Jesus  answered,  He  it  is,  to 
whom  I  shall  give  a  sop,  when  I  have  dipped  it. 
And  when   he   had  dipped   the  sop,   he   gave  it   to 

27  Judas  Iscariot,  the  son  of  Simon.  And  after  the 
sop  Satan  entered  into  him.     Then  said  Jesus  unto 

28  him.  That  thou  doest,  do  quickly.  Now  no  man 
at  the  table  knew  for  what  intent  he  spake  this  unto 

29  him.  For  some  of  them  thought,  because  Judas 
had  the  bag,  that  Jesus  had  said  unto  him.  Buy 
those  things  that  wB  have  need  of  against  the  feast  ; 

30  or,  that  he  should  give  something  to  the  poor.  He 
then    having    received    the    sop    went    immediately 

31  out  :  and  it  was  night.  Therefore,  when  he  was 
gone  out,  Jesus  said.  Now  is  the  Son  of  man  glorified, 

32  and  God  is  glorified  in  him.  If  God  be  glorified  in 
him,    God    shall   also   glorify   him   in   himself,    and 

S3  shall  straightway  glorify  him.  Little  children,  yet 
a  little  while  I  am  with  you.  Ye  shall  seek  me  : 
and  as  I  said  unto  the  Jews,  Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot 

34  come  ;  so  now  I  say  to  you.  A  new  commandment 
I  give  unto  you.  That  ye  love  one  another  ;  as  I  have 

35  loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one  another.  By  this 
shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have 

36  love  one  to  another.  Simon  Peter  said  unto  him. 
Lord,  whither  goest  thou  ?  Jesus  answered  him, 
Whither  I  go,  thou  canst  not  follow  me  now  ;  but 

S7  thou  shalt  follow  me  afterwards.     Peter  said  unto 

him.  Lord,  why  cannot  I  follow  thee  now  ?     I  will 
38  lay   down   my   life   for   thy   sake.     Jesus   answered 

him.   Wilt   thou   lay  down   thy  life  for   my  sake  ? 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  The  cock  shall  not 

crow,  till  thou  bast  denied  me  thrice. 


St.  John  173 

In  this  section,  John  as  it  were  reheves  the 
picture.  He  has  been  showing  Jesus  with  His 
thought  turned  away  altogether  from  Himself,  and 
he  will  have  to  show  Jesus  continuing  to  concen- 
trate mind  and  love  upon  the  disciples,  almost 
in  something  like  forgetfulness  of  His  own  fate. 
Now,  lest  this  should  put  Jesus  too  far  off  from 
humanity,  the  Evangelist  reveals  the  trouble,  the 
inward  suff'ering,  which  Jesus  endured  as  He 
remembered  the  traitor  in  the  midst. 

The  subsequent  conversation  (to  v.  38)  follows 
naturally  out  of  the  circumstances,  and  may  best 
be  taken  as  part  of  the  section. 

18.  I  speak  not  of  you  all.  That  is,  con- 
necting with  V.  17 — "I  know  of  one  who  will  not 
do  these  things." 

He  that  eateth  bread  with  me.    In  the 

East  this  is  held   as  a   pledge  of  friendship   and 
faithfulness.     The  reference  is  to  Psalm  41.  9- 

19.  Now  I  tell  you.  Better,  ^Mienceforth," 
as  in  R.V.  The  meaning  is  that  "henceforth" 
there  is  no  more  cause  for  reserve.  Judas  will 
not  repent.  And  the  prophecy,  when  fulfilled, 
would  deepen  the  disciples'  conviction  of  Jesus' 
divineness. 

20.  The  connection  of  this  verse  with  the  rest 
is  a  little  difficult  to  determine.  In  part,  it  clearly 
goes  back  to  v.  I6  (the  idea  of  "sending"  is 
common  to  both),  and  indicates  that  in  the  realisa- 
tion of  their  oneness  with  Jesus — He  being  in 
His  turn  one  with  God — the  disciples  are  to  find 
their  true  greatness.  The  verse  thus  anticipates 
16.  21-23.  Its  immediate  connection  with  the 
subject  of  the  betrayal  may  perhaps  lie  in  the 
idea  that   this   great   mission   of  the   disciples  is 


174  Westminster  New  Testament 

unaffected  by  the  defection  of  one  of  the  band. 
The  relation  between  Jesus  and  His  faithful 
followers  stands  sure. 

21.  The  thought  of  the  coming  betrayal  forces 
itself  again  to  the  uppermost  place  in  Jesus*  mind, 
and  draws  Him  away  from  the  topic  to  which  in 
V.  20  He  had  turned. 

troubled  in  spirit.  A  touch  revealing  the 
humanity  of  Jesus,  His  horror  at  the  crime  that 
was  to  be  perpetrated  by  one  of  those  closely 
associated  with  Him. 

22.  Matthew  adds  that  the  disciples  doubted 
themselves,  each  one  wondering  whether  he  was 
to  be  the  criminal  (Matt.  26.  22). 

23.  24.  The  company  would  be  lying  on  their 
left  sides,  stretched  slanting-wise  from  the  table, 
so  that  the  head  of  each  would  be  close  to  the 
bosom  of  the  one  next  him.  Most  of  the  pictures 
of  the  Last  Supper  give  an  entirely  wrong  im- 
pression of  the  scene. 

one  of  his  disciples,  whom  Jesus  loved. 
See  Introduction,  pp.  3-8. 

25.  He  then  lying,  etc.  '^^ Leaning  back" — 
and  so  able  to  look  into  the  face  of  Jesus. 

26.  to  whom  I  shall  give  a  sop.  It  is  an 
Eastern  custom  for  the  host  to  take  a  choice 
morsel  and  present  it  to  the  favoured  guest.  The 
act  may  have  been  a  final  appeal  to  Judas. 

Judas  Iscariot,  the  son  of  Simon.  Both 
father  and  son  had  of  course  the  same  surname. 
It  should  therefore  be,  as  in  R.V.,  "Judas,  the  son 
of  Simon  Iscariot." 

The  talk  between  John  and  Jesus  cannot  have 
been  overheard  by  the  others  present,  as  is  evident 
from  V.  28. 


St.  John  175 

27.  Satan  entered  into  him.    Judas  finally 

hardened  himself  to  the  traitorous  deed.  This  is 
the  only  place  in  this  Gospel  in  which  the  term 
"  Satan  "  is  used. 

28,  29.  Had  the  disciples  known  that  Judas  was 
the  traitor,  there  might  have  been  disturbance,  if 
not  actual  violence.  Hence  the  answer  to  John 
had,  as  stated,  been  given  in  undertones.  And 
not  even  John  understood  that  the  moment 
had  come. 

30.  It  was  most  probably  after  the  departure  of 
Judas  that  the  actual  memorial  rite  was  instituted. 
The  Synoptics  favour  this  view. 

31,  32.  The  moment  of  trouble  is  past  for  Jesus, 
and  once  more  He  strikes  the  note  of  victory. 
Compare  12.  23,  where  the  prospect  of  death  had 
called  forth  similar  words.  Doubtless  Jesus  felt 
a  sense  of  relief  now  that  the  traitor  was  gone. 

The  R.V.  omits  the  first  phrase  in  v.  32,  but 
the  meaning  of  the  whole  utterance  remains  un- 
changed. The  Father  is  glorified  because  the  Son 
accepts  His  mission  once  more,  and  the  Son  Him- 
self is  glorified  in  His  obedience.  It  is  as  though 
Jesus,  now  that  Judas  had  gone  to  commit  his 
crime,  saw  everything  in  train  for  the  sacrifice 
that  was  to  consummate  His  work. 

33.  From  the  height  of  exaltation  Jesus  comes 
down  to  take  a  loving  farewell.  "  Little  children  " 
is  used  only  here,  for  in  21.  5  there  is  a  different 
word.  What  Jesus  had  said  to  the  Jews  He  now 
says  to  His  disciples,  but  in  how  different  a  way ! 
Here  it  is  only  a  preface  to  His  subsequent 
declarations  that  He  is  not  really  leaving  them 
after  all.  In  this  verse  begins  that  note  of  tender 
pity  which  rings  through  chapters  14-16. 


176  Westminster  New  Testament 

34,  35.  In  these  words  Jesus  returns  to  the 
idea  of  love  as  one  of  the  distinguishing  marks  of 
His  fellowsliip.  It  has  been  the  thought  of  Judas' 
treachery  that  has  drawn  Him  away  from  that 
topic  (even  when  He  had  been  speaking  about  it 
previously  the  thought  of  the  traitor  had  intruded, 
V.  10),  and  now  that  He  is  free  from  this,  He 
returns  to  the  subject  of  love  once  more. 

A  new  commandment.  There  was  already  a 
commandment  to  love  one's  neighbour  as  oneself. 
But  Jesus  gave  to  the  obligation  of  love  a  much 
wider  scope,  and  freed  it  from  all  restrictions. 

36.  Peter  cannot  let  the  statement  in  v.  33 
pass.  The  reply  of  Jesus  is  indirect.  He  does 
not  say  whither  He  is  going,  but  tells  Peter  that 
by  and  by  he  will  follow.  The  reply  covers  much 
more  than  the  mere  truth  that  Peter  will  follow 
Jesus  into  the  other  world,  and  refers  to  the  work 
and  sufferings  which  Peter,  like  the  Master,  would 
undertake  and  endure. 

37.  Peter  is  still  too  impetuous  to  understand. 
He  is  ready  for  anything  in  his  Master's  cause. 
If  it  be  some  literal  journey  on  which  Jesus  is 
going,  why  may  not  he  go  at  His  side  .'^ 

38.  The  note  of  sorrow  comes  for  an  instant 
back  into  Jesus'  voice.  He  knows  Peter  too 
well. 

The  cock  shall  not  crow,  etc.  The  cock- 
crowing  was  the  third  watch  of  the  night. 

According  to  Matthew  (26.  35),  Peter  still 
protested,  even  after  this  solemn  warning,  that 
such  a  denial  as  Jesus  foretold  was  quite  an  im- 
possible thing.  His  self-confidence,  and  that  of 
the  other  disciples,  who  join  their  assurances  to 
Peter's,  was  unshaken. 


St.  John  177 


John  14.  1-14. 

THE  UPPER  ROOM  :   JESUS  AND  THE 
FATHER. 

Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled  :  ye  believe  in  God, 

2  believe  also  in  me.  In  my  Father's  house  are  many 
mansions  :  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you. 

3  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  and 
prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again,  and 
receive  you  unto  myself  ;  that  where  I  am,  there  ye 

4  may  be  also.     And  whither  I  go  ye  know,  and  the 

5  way  ye  know.  Thomas  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  we 
know   not   whither   thou   goest  ;    and    how   can   we 

6  know  the  way  ?  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  am  the 
way,  the  truth,  and  the  life  :  no  man  cometh  unto 

7  the  Father,  but  by  me.  If  ye  had  known  me,  ye 
should    have    known    my    Father    also :    and    from 

8  henceforth  ye  know  him,  and  have  seen  him.  Philip 
saith  unto  him,  Lord,  shew  us   the   Father,  and  it 

9  sufficeth  us.  Jesus  saith  unto  him.  Have  I  been  so 
long  time  with  you,  and  yet  hast  thou  not  known 
me,  Philip  ?  he  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the 
Father  ;    and  how  sayest    thou   then,    Shew  us  the 

10  Father  ?  BeUevest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the 
Father,  and  the  Father  in  me  ?  the  words  that  I 
speak  unto  you  I  speak  not  of  myself :  but  the 
Father  that  dwelleth    in   me,   he  doeth  the  works. 

11  Beheve  me  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father 
in  me  :  or  else  believe  me  for  the  very  works'  sake. 

12  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  believeth  on 
me,  the  works  that  I  do  shall  he  do  also  ;  and  greater 
works  than  these  shall  he  do  ;  because  I  go  unto  my 

13  Father.  And  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name, 
that  will  I  do,  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in 

14  the  Son.  If  ye  shall  ask  any  thing  in  my  name,  I 
will  do  it. 

12 


178  Westminster  New  Testament 

This  fourteenth  chapter,  with  the  two  following 
ones,  gives  a  record  of  the  sayings  arising  from 
the  profound  pity  and  love  felt  by  Jesus  for  the 
disciples  whom  He  was  now  to  leave.  As  pre- 
viously noted,  it  is  on  His  disciples,  not  on 
Himself,  that  His  thought  is  fixed  ;  and  as  in  the 
foregoing  chapter  He  has  been  anxious  to  secure 
that  the  true  spirit  of  love  should  possess  them 
after  He  is  gone,  so  now  He  turns  Himself  to  the 
more  direct  task  of  strengthening  them  to  bear 
the  trial  that  lay  ahead.  The  substance  of  His 
message  through  chapters  14-16  is  that  He  is  not 
really  leaving  them,  that  He  will  in  living  power 
be  with  them  even  after  His  death,  able  to  succour 
them  and  give  Himself  to  them  just  as  when  He 
was  with  them  in  bodily  form.  The  phase  of  this 
idea  embodied  in  the  present  section  is  this. 
Through  the  return  of  Jesus  to  the  Father,  the 
ministry  of  Jesus  will  become  more  powerful, 
since  all  restrictions  of  place  and  time  will  be 
removed.  The  essential  oneness  between  Himself 
and  God  will  become  in  a  manner  more  strongly 
operative  for  the  disciples'  good. 

1.  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled.  It  was 
but  natural  that  the  disciples  should  be  distressed 
by  the  knowledge,  just  imparted,  that  one  of  their 
number  was  to  betray  the  Master,  and  one  to 
deny. 

ye  believe  in  God.  Or  ''  believe,"  imperative. 
In  either  case,  the  meaning  is  the  same — that  faith 
in  God  should  lead  to  faith  in  Jesus  as  the  revela- 
tion of  Him. 

2.  The  verse  is  usually  taken  as  referring  to  the 
heavenly  life  beyond,  and  of  course  it  has  this 
application.     But  the  more  important  meaning  is 


St.  John  179 

that  the  stage  of  communion  with  the  divine  life 
at  which  the  disciples  had  hitherto  been  living  was 
but  a  preliminary  to  another.  There  was  an 
experience  of  union  with  God  in  Christ  before 
them  which  was  as  much  a  "mansion"  in  the 
"Father's  house"  as  this  experience  of  human 
fellowship  with  Jesus  had  been.  By  His  return  to 
God^  Jesus  was  going  to  "prepare"  this  place — to 
make  this  experience  possible. 

3.  The  necessary  consequence  Avas  that  in  some 
way  Jesus  would  come  back  and  unite  His 
disciples  with  Himself.  How  this  was  to  be  is 
more  fully  explained  in  the  next  section  (vv. 
15-24). 

4.  They  should  have  understood  all  this  before. 
So  in  v.  2  Jesus  has  said  that  if  it  had  not  been 
so,  He  would  have  told  them.  It  ought  to  have 
seemed  the  natural  thing  to  them,  and  to  have 
needed  no  assurance  or  proof. 

5.  The  disciples,  Thomas  being  this  time 
spokesman,  show  that  they  are  not  able  to 
relate  together  all  the  great  ideas  which  Jesus 
has  brought  before  them,  now  and  on  previous 
occasions. 

6.  This  verse  embodies  some  of  the  great  ideas 
of  the  Gospel. 

I  am  the  way,  etc.  Jesus  is  the  Way,  inasmuch 
as  to  be  one  with  Him  is  to  be  one  with  God.  He 
is  the  Truth,  inasmuch  as  He  sets  the  life  which  is 
united  with  Him  on  to  the  true  and  divinely 
ordained  line  (see  1.  14).  He  is  the  Life,  inas- 
much as  He  makes  man  partaker  of  the  divine  life 
that  is  in  Him.  And  it  is  to  be  noted  that  Jesus 
is  these  things — does  not  merely  give  reliable 
teaching  about  them.     Actual  oneness  with  Him, 


i8o  Westminster  New  Testament 

therefore,  is  the  condition  of  finding  all  these  things 
in  Him. 

7.  A  large  ^^if."  "  If  ye  had  apprehended  Me/' 
gives  the  idea.  They  had  known  without  appre- 
hending, seen  without  perceiving. 

8,  9.  Philip  wishes  for  an  outward  manifestation 
of  the  Father  which  the  eye  of  flesh  could  see. 
Nothing  could  more  emphatically  reveal  the 
distance  at  which  the  thought  of  the  disciples 
still  remained  from  that  of  Jesus,  even  after  all 
their  intercourse  with  Him.  Jesus,  in  reply,  can 
but  reiterate  the  declaration  of  oneness  with  God 
which  we  have  so  often  heard  Him  make. 

SO  long  time  with  you.  Almost  a  gentle 
touch  of  satire — at  least  of  surprise  mingled  with 
regret. 

10,  11.  An  emphatic  repetition  of  the  claim 
to  oneness  with  God,  with  added  mention  of  the 
words  and  works  in  which  some  of  the  evidence 
can  be  found.  Jesus,  as  it  were,  goes  over 
the  elementary  alphabet  of  the  thing  with  this 
dull  pupil. 

12.  Jesus  escapes  from  the  bewilderments  of  the 
immediate  questioning  to  the  larger  conception 
with  which  He  is  seeking  to  comfort  the  disciples' 
hearts.  The  ministry  of  His  disciples — which  will 
be  His  own  ministry  in  them — will  continue  and 
increase  through  that  very  departure  of  His  which 
is  paining  them. 

greater  works.  Not  necessarily  referring  to 
any  miraculous  works,  but  to  the  marvellous 
extension  of  the  influence  of  the  Gospel  through 
all  time. 

because  I  go  unto  my  Father.  The  Christ 
who  was  no  longer  in  the  flesh  would,  through  that 


St.  John  i8i 

very  deliverance  from  things  local  and  earthly, 
supply  all  the  greater  impulse  and  power  to 
His  own. 

13,  14.  Another  promise  concerning  the  larger 
benefits  that  would  result  from  the  going  away  of 
Jesus,  and  the  power  with  which  the  disciples 
would  be  endowed.  They  would  be  mighty  in 
prayer. 

in  my  name.  That  is,  in  the  spirit  of 
Jesus,  and  under  the  inspiration  of  His  mind  and 
heart. 

that  will  I  do,  etc.  Jesus  Himself  will  give 
effect  to  the  petitions  of  His  disciples ;  and  it 
is  thus  through  Him  that  God  will  work  His 
will. 


John  14.  15-24. 

THE  UPPER  ROOM  :  JESUS  FORETELLS 
THE  COMING  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 

15  If  ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandments.     And  I  will 

16  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another 
Comforter,   that  he  may  abide  with  you  for  ever  ; 

17  even  the  Spirit  of  truth  ;  whom  the  world  cannot 
receive,  because  it  seeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth 
him:  but  ye  know  him  ;  for  he  dwelleth  with  yon, 

18  and  shall  be  in  you.     I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless  : 

19  I  will  come  to  you.  Yet  a  little  while,  and  the  world 
seeth  me  no  more  ;  but  ye  see  me  :  because  I  live, 

20  ye  shall  live  also.     At  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I 

21  am  in  my  Father,  and  ye  in  me,  and  I  in  you.  He 
that  hath  my  commandments,  and  keepeth  them» 
he  it  is  that  loveth  me  :  and  he  that  loveth  me  shall 
be  loved  of  my  Father,  and  I  will  love  him,  and  will 

22  manifest  myself  to  him.     Judas  saith  unto  him,  not 


i82  Westminster  New  Testament 

Iscariot,   Lord,    how  is  it   that   thou   wilt   manifest 

23  thyself  unto  us,  and  not  unto  the  world  ?  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  If  a  man  love  me,  he 
will  keep  my  words  :  and  my  Father  will  love  him, 
and  we  will  come  unto  him,   and  make  our  abode 

24  with  him.  He  that  loveth  me  not  keepeth  not  my 
sayings  :  and  the  word  which  ye  hear  is  not  mine, 
but  the  Father's  which  sent  me. 

This  section  is  inspired  by  the  same  main  idea 
as  the  last.  Still  desiring  to  impress  upon  His 
disciples  the  truth  that  He  will^  after  His  death, 
be  with  them  in  as  true  a  sense  as  ever,  Jesus 
speaks  of  the  coming  of  that  Spirit  which  is  really 
(v.  18)  to  be  His  own  continuecl  life. 

15-17.  Putting  the  idea  in  as  simple  a  form  as 
possible  (since  the  listeners  have  been  unable  to 
comprehend  that  profounder  idea  which  He  has 
just  been  expounding,  the  idea  that  through  death 
His  influence  for  them  and  in  them  would  be  all 
the  greater),  Jesus  now  makes  the  direct  assertion 
that  another  Presence  will  be  sent  to  take  the 
place  of  His  own  bodily  presence  withdrawn. 

If  ye  love  me,  etc.  Only  on  the  condition  of 
love  and  its  resultant  obedience  (^^  ye  will  keep," 
as  in  R.V.,  instead  of  the  imperative  "keep," 
leaves  the  meaning  unchanged)  can  this  Presence 
be  realised.  The  world,  not  fulfilling  the  conditions, 
cannot  know  the  Spirit  (v.  17). 

another  Comforter.  The  word  rather  means 
"Advocate."  In  this  instance,  however,  the  idea 
is  that  of  the  effect  of  the  Spirit's  ministry  upon 
the  disciples,  and  the  Spirit  is  therefore  viewed  as 
the  "  Advocate,"  or  representative,  of  Jesus  to  the 
hearts  of  men.  This  is  in  harmony  with  the  trend 
of  the  whole  passage. 


St.  John  183 

for  ever.  In  contrast  with  the  temporary 
abiding  of  Jesus  with  them  in  human  form. 

18.  Yet  this  Spirit  is  really  to  be  Jesus 
Himself^  for  He  is  not  going  to  leave  them. 
Jesus  is  above  all  things  anxious  that  this  shall 
be  understood. 

19.  because  I  live,  etc.  It  was  because  Jesus 
did  not  die,  spite  of  the  superficial  appearance, 
that  the  disciples  would  live  in  a  spiritual  sense 
and  in  fulness  of  spiritual  experience.  Jesus  is 
really  emphasising  once  again  the  truth  that  He 
is  not  going  from  them.  "  Whatever  life,  in  the 
best  sense,  you  know,  you  will  know  only 
because  I  Myself  am  living  in  you."  That  identi- 
fication of  the  disciples  with  Jesus  in  which 
alone  true  life  could  be  found,  would  still  be 
possible. 

20.  Here  Jesus  returns  upon  the  previous  talk, 
repeating  the  conception  of  vv.  9-11. 

21.  A  recapitulation  of  what  has  just  been  said 
— only  now  Jesus  speaks  of  Himself  as  coming  to 
the  disciples  instead  of  the  coming  of  the  Spirit. 
The  obedience  springing  from  love  will  secure 
the  continued  presence  and  manifestation  of 
Jesus. 

22.  Judas.  Called  Lebbaeus  or  Thaddaeus 
(see  Matt.  10.  3  and  Mark  3.  18). 

The  question  implies  that  Judas,  in  common 
doubtless  with  the  others,  was  looking  for  a  public 
manifestation  of  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  and  could 
not  understand  why  it  was  withheld. 

23.  Jesus  first  of  all,  instead  of  replying,  repeats 
w^hat  He  has  just  said,  thus  endeavouring  to  drive 
the  mind  of  the  questioner  to  a  more  spiritual  point 
of  view.     If  Judas  pondered  these  things  and  com- 


i84  Westminster  New  Testament 

prehended  them,  he  would  see  why  such  a  manifesta- 
tion as  he  looked  for  was  impossible. 

24.  The  more  direct  reply  is  given  in  these 
words.  The  world,  which  did  not  obey,  could  not 
receive  the  manifestation  of  Jesus. 


John  14.  25-31. 

THE  UPPER  ROOM  :    REPETITION  OF  SOME 
OF  THE  PREVIOUS  IDEAS. 

25  These   things   have   I   spoken   unto   you,    being   yet 

26  present  with  you.  But  the  Comforter,  which  is 
the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my 
name,  he  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  all 
things  to  your  remembrance,  whatsoever  I  have  said 

27  unto  you.  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace  I  give 
unto  you  :  not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you. 
Let  not  your  heart  be   troubled,   neither  let  it  be 

28  afraid.  Ye  have  heard  how  I  said  unto  you,  I  go 
away,  and  come  again  unto  you.  If  ye  loved  me, 
ye  would  rejoice,  because  I  said,  I  go  unto  the  Father  : 

29  for  my  Father  is  greater  than  I.  And  now  I  have 
told  you   before  it   come  to  pass,   that,  when  it  is 

30  come  to  pass,  ye  might  believe.  Hereafter  I  will 
not  talk  much  with  you  :  for  the  prince  of  this  world 

31  Cometh,  and  hath  nothing  in  me.  But  that  the 
world  may  know  that  I  love  the  Father  ;  and  as  the 
Father  gave  me  commandment,  even  so  I  do.  Arise, 
let  us  go  hence. 

At  the  close  of  this  section  of  the  conversation, 
Jesus  repeats,  as  if  for  greater  impression  and 
surer  remembrance,  some  of  the  things  He  has 
already  said. 


St.  John  185 

25,  26.  First  of  all.  He  recurs  to  the  coming  of 
the  Spirit — doubtless  in  order  that  the  disciples 
might  keep  expectant  and  open  minds.  They 
might  not  yet  understand  all  these  things,  but 
if  they  yielded  to  that  Spirit  which  was  to  be  the 
continued    presence  of  Jesus,   all   would   become 

the  Holy  Ghost.  Or,  "the  Holy  Spirit."  It 
has  been  implied  in  previous  references  that  the 
Spirit  was  to  be  a  Spirit  of  holiness.  The  Spirit's 
coming  was  to  be  conditional  on  moral  qualities  in 
the  disciples  (v.  15),  and  it  would,  coming  from 
the  Father,  be  productive  of  holiness  in  the  hearts 
of  men. 

in  my  name.  As  the  representative  of 
Jesus. 

27.  Here  Jesus  returns  to  the  matter  of  the 
disciples'  inner  rest,  which  He  has  spoken  of  in 
V.  1.  To  speak  peace  was  a  customary  Eastern 
salutation,  but  the  saying  of  Jesus  goes  much 
further.  He  actually  gives  His  peace.  Of  course 
an  inward  condition  can  only  be  transferred  by  the 
actual  moral  and  spiritual  union  of  him  who  is  to 
receive  it  with  him  from  whom  it  is  to  be  trans- 
ferred. Jesus,  therefore,  has  again  in  mind  the 
absolute  oneness  which  should  subsist  between  His 
disciples  and  Himself. 

my  peace  I  give.  The  peace  which  in  His 
oneness  with  God  He  Himself  enjoys. 

28.  Here  Jesus  returns  to  the  idea  that  through 
His  departure  His  ministry  and  His  power  would 
be  increased. 

If  ye  loved  me,  etc.  Some  slight  reproach 
and  disappointment  is  implied.  Of  course  the 
disciples  loved  the  Master,  but  not  with   a  love 


i86  Westminster  New  Testament 

which  enabled  them  to  understand  His  heart  and 
mind. 

my  Father  is  greater  than  I.  The  subordina- 
tion of  the  Son  to  the  Father  has  always  been  a 
cardinal  point  of  Christian  doctrine.  Since  the 
Father  was  greater  than  the  Son,  there  would,  in 
the  closer  union  between  them  which  would  follow 
upon  Jesus'  death,  be  more  of  the  Father's 
eternal  power  at  the  disposal,  if  it  may  be  so  put, 
of  the  Son. 

29.  Compare  13.  19.  When  the  disciples  had 
entered  into  the  experience  of  what  the  departed, 
and  yet  present  Jesus  could  do,  they  would 
remember  His  Mord,  and  the  experience  would 
prove  how  true  the  word  had  been. 

30,  31.  Hereafter  I  will  not  talk  much 
with  you.  The  time  for  speech  was  gone  by. 
The  last  conflict  had  now  to  be  faced  (^^  for  the 
prince  of  this  world  cometh  "). 

But  that  the  world  may  know,  etc.    The 

"  prince  of  this  world  "  had  nothing  in  Jesus.  All 
he  had  to  do  was  to  show,  by  his  very  assault  on 
Jesus,  and  through  the  way  in  which  Jesus  met 
it,  how  entirely  devoted  Jesus  was  to  His  Father's 
will. 

Arise,  let  us  go  hence.  It  is  frequently 
assumed  that  at  this  point  Jesus  and  His  disciples 
left  the  upper  room.  It  is  probable,  however, 
that,  after  the  motion  towards  leaving,  the  con- 
versation was  resumed;  and  the  words  of  18.  1 
seem  to  indicate  that  this  was  so.  Preferably, 
therefore,  the  chapters  15-17  are  taken  as  also 
belonging  to  the  discourse  in  the  upper  room. 


St.  John  187 


John  15.  i-ii. 

THE  UPPER  ROOM  :  THE  VINE  AND  THE 
BRANCHES. 

I  am  the  true  vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  husband- 

2  man.  Every  branch  in  me  that  beareth  not  fruit 
he  taketh  away :  and  every  branch  that  beareth 
fruit,  he  purgeth  it,   that  it  may  bring  forth  more 

3  fruit.     Now  ye  are  clean  through  the  word  which 

4  I  have  spoken  unto  you.  Abide  in  me,  and  I  in 
you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself, 
except  it  abide  in  the  vine  ;  no  more  can  ye,  except 

5  ye  abide  in  me.  I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches  : 
He  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same 
bringeth  forth  much  fruit  :  for  without  me  ye  can 

6  do  nothing.  If  a  man  abide  not  in  me,  he  is  cast 
forth  as  a  branch,  and  is  withered  ;  and  men  gather 
them,   and  cast    them   into   the    fire,   and   they  are 

7  burned.  If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in 
you,  ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done 

8  unto  you.     Herein  is  my  Father  glorified,   that  ye 

9  bear  much  fruit  ;  so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples.  As 
the  Father  hath  loved   me,   so  have  I  loved  you  : 

10  continue  ye  in  my  love.  If  ye  keep  my  command- 
ments, ye  shall  abide  in  my  love  ;  even  as  I  have  kept 
my    Father's     commandments,    and    abide    in     his 

11  love.  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that 
my  joy  might  remain  in  you,  and  that  your  joy 
might  be  full. 

Still  pursuing  the  purpose  of  showing  how 
under  the  shadow  of  death  Jesus  kept  His 
thoughts  fixed,  not  upon  Himself,  but  upon  His 
disciples,  John  now  sets  down  the  allegory  of  the 
vine   and   the   branches.     In   this    allegory   Jesus 


i88  Westminster  New  Testament 

insists  again  upon  the  conception  of  a  union, 
subsequent  to  His  departure,  between  His  followers 
and  Himself,  thus  bringing  forward  again  the 
essential  idea  of  14.  15-24,  the  idea  of  His 
continued  life  with  His  own.  In  the  present 
section,  however,  oneness  with  Jesus  is  looked 
upon  from  the  standpoint  of  duty  rather  than  from 
that  of  privilege ;  and  the  disciples  are  told  that 
only  as  they  enter  into  this  oneness  can  they  be 
true. 

1.  the  true  vine.  That  is,  the  "perfect" 
vine,  the  ideal  Source  of  life.  The  vine  is  fre- 
quently used  in  the  Old  Testament  as  the  symbol 
of  the  chosen  people  of  God,  and  the  figure  would 
have  no  novelty  to  Jesus'  hearers.  See  specially 
Isa.  5.  1-7  and  Jer.  2.  21.  In  adopting  the 
metaphor,  however,  Jesus  changes  it  somewhat. 
It  is  He,  not  the  disciples,  whom  the  symbol  now 
covers.  It  is  as  though  He  meant  to  indicate 
that  the  part  of  the  vine  was  too  great  a  part  for 
the  disciples  to  play :  they  would  not  be  able  to 
repay  God's  cultivation.  So  they  had  to  be  merely 
the  branches,  Jesus  Himself  being  the  vine ;  and 
they  had  but  to  receive  their  life  from  Him. 

2.  Both  a  warning  and  a  promise.  They  could 
only  keep  their  place  in  the  kingdom  if  they  proved 
themselves,  through  their  union  with  Jesus, 
spiritually  fruitful ;  and,  in  so  far  as  they  realised 
that  union  and  bore  fruit,  they  might  look  for  a 
still  further  growth  in  fruitfulness  through  the 
discipline  they  would  undergo. 

purgeth.  Better,  as  in  R.V.,  "cleanseth," 
thus  making  the  connection  with  the  following 
verse. 

3.  Compare  13.  10.     Here,  as  there,  it  does  not 


St.    John  i8g 

mean  that  the  eleansmg  process  was  complete, 
but  that  it  was  genumely  begun.  The  process 
described  in  the  second  part  of  v.  2  was  going  on 
in  tlie  disciples  ;  and  Jesus  sees  it  as  it  were 
ideally  finished. 

4.  This  verse  embodies  the  great  idea  of  the 
true  believer's  identification  of  himself  with  Christ 
— the  idea  which  in  so  many  ways  the  Fourth 
Gospel  expounds.  As  stated  here,  it  is  simplicity 
itself ;  and  in  this  allegorical  form  would  be  grasped 
by  many  who  might  be  baffled  by  some  of  the 
other  sayings  of  Jesus. 

6.  A  repetition,  for  the  sake  of  emphasis  and 
greater  impression. 

7.  Perhaps  recalling  that  the  topic  of  prayer 
has  already  been  mentioned  in  the  conversation 
(14.  13,  14),  Jesus  alludes  to  it  again,  declaring 
that  this  abiding  in  Him  is  the  condition  of  prayer 
that  prevails.  The  principle  is  entirely  reasonable. 
Oneness  with  Jesus  means  a  oneness  of  will  and 
desire  ;  and  therefore,  as  a  natural  consequence, 
they  who  abide  in  Jesus  will  ask  for  nothing  that 
must  be  refused. 

8.  The  thought  that  through  His  relation  to 
His  disciples,  and  through  their  acceptance  of  it 
and  their  right  self-adjustment  to  it,  the  will  of 
God  is  being  worked  out,  is  never  absent  from 
Jesus'  mind.  That  God  was  being  glorified  was 
the  master-idea  within  Him. 

9.  10.  Jesus  now  drops  the  metaphor,  but  still 
insists  upon  the  same  idea.  The  disciples  are  to 
abide  in  Jesus,  and  it  is  only.  He  goes  on  to  remind 
them,  through  obedience  that  they  can  do  so.  He 
adds  the  further  element,  which  deepens  and 
enlarges   the  idea,  that  this  relationship  between 


igo  Westminster  New  Testament 

Himself  and  the  disciples^  to  which  He  is  summon- 
ing thenij  is  the  same  relation  as  that  which 
subsists  between  Himself  and  the  Father.  This 
has  already  been  suggested  in  previous  passages 
(for  instance^  6.  57),  and  is  afterwards  spoken  of  by- 
Jesus  in  His  supplication  to  the  Father  (17.  23). 

continue  ye  in  my  love.  The  connection  of 
the  whole  is  better  preserved  by  translating,  as  in 
R.V.,  "  abide  ye."  Certainly  the  same  word  should 
be  employed  in  v,  9  and  v.  10. 

11.  It  is  noteworthy  that  Jesus  should  be  able, 
with  the  Cross  so  near,  to  speak  of  His  joy.  It  is 
a  greater  thing  even  than  the  ''peace"  of  which 
He  has  spoken  in  14.  27 — a  more  positive  and 
bounding  thing.  The  context  shows  that  His  joy 
came  to  Him  through  His  obedience  to  the 
Father's  will  and  His  consequent  abiding  in  His 
Father's  love.  Similarly,  His  disciples^  if  they 
kept  His  commandments,  and  abode  in  His  love, 
would  feel  Jesus'  joyful  heart-throb.  For  it  was 
His  joy  they  were  to  possess. 


John  15.  12-17. 

THE  UPPER  ROOM:  LOVE  TO  BE  AMONG 
THE  DISCIPLES,  AFTER  THE  EXAMPLE 
OF  JESUS  HIMSELF. 

12  This  is   my  commandment,   That   ye  love   one   an- 

13  other,  as  I  have  loved  you.  Greater  love  hath  no 
man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his 

14  friends.     Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I 

15  command  yon.  Henceforth  I  call  you  not  servants  ; 
for  the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his  lord  doeth  : 
but  I  have  called  you  friends  ;  for  all  things  that  I 


St.  John  191 

have  heard  of  my  Father  1  have  made  known  unto 

16  you.  Ye  have  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen 
you,  and  ordained  you,  that  ye  should  go  and  bring 
forth  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit  should  remain  :  that 
whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  of  the  Father  in  my  name,  he 

17  may  give  it  you.  These  things  I  command  you,  that 
ye  love  one  another. 

At  this  point  Jesus  goes  back  to  the  idea  with 
which  nearly  the  whole  of  chapter  1 3  was  occupied, 
the  idea  of  love  among  those  whom  He  was  going 
to  leave  behind.  Indeed,  as  we  shall  presently 
see,  the  recapitulation  goes  further  than  this  ;  for, 
having  spoken  of  this  matter  of  brotherly  love, 
Jesus  takes  the  same  step  of  thought  as  before 
(although  the  parenthetical  section  vv.  18-25  here 
intervenes),  and  goes  on  to  speak  of  the  coming 
of  the  Spirit.  His  mind  is,  as  previously  observed, 
moving  ceaselessly  to  and  fro  between  the  desire  that 
the  right  spirit  shall  dwell  in  His  followers  after  He 
is  gone,  and  the  desire  to  comfort  them  for  their  loss. 

Here,  as  in  the  previous  treatment,  Jesus  urges 
His  own  love  as  the  pattern  to  which  the  disciples 
are  to  conform.  Now,  however,  it  is  His  love  as 
shown  in  His  death — a  greater  love  than  that 
which  prompted  the  washing  of  His  followers' 
feet — to  which  He  points. 

12,  13.  as  I  have  loved  you.  Probably  they 
did  not  know,  even  yet,  how  He  had  loved  them, 
nor  to  what  His  love  was  going  to  lead.  At  any 
rate,  they  did  not  realise  it.  That  Jesus  was 
thinking  of  His  death  is  obvious  from  v.  13.  His 
words  are  very  likely  an  allusion  to  Peter's  remark 
in  13.  37.  Jesus  would  do  for  Peter  what  Peter  had 
too  rashly  declared  himself  ready  to  do  for  Jesus. 


192  Westminster  New  Testament 

14.  This,  with  vv.  15  and  16,  is  a  parenthesis, 
to  the  utterance  of  which  Jesus  is  led  by  the  occur- 
rence of  the  word  "  friends." 

15.  Compare  13.  13.  Although  Jesus  is  Master 
and  Lord,  yet  He  is  anxious  that  the  relation 
between  His  disciples  and  Himself  shall  not  be  one 
of  merely  blind  submission.  He  has  sought  to 
introduce  them  to  an  understanding  of  His  secret 
heart  and  mind — which  are  the  heart  and  mind  of 
the  Father.  Discipleship  may  have  to  begin  with 
blind  submission  not  seldom,  but  it  should  not  stop 
at  that  stage. 

16.  There  is  superficially,  though  not  really,  a 
slight  inconsistency  between  this  verse  and  the 
last.  Jesus  does  not  call  the  disciples  servants, 
and  yet  He  is  anxious  to  impress  upon  them  that 
only  because  He  has  chosen  them  are  they  in  their 
present  position.  The  authority  is  His.  The 
true  emphasis,  however,  falls  upon  the  purpose  of 
the  "  choosing  " — "  that  ye  should  go  and  bring 
forth  fruit,"  etc.  Jesus  has  held  them  so  truly  His 
friends  that  He  has  selected  them  for  the  lofty 
destiny  these  phrases  reveal. 

17.  Here  Jesus  returns  to  the  commandment 
He  wishes  to  write  upon  the  disciples'  memories. 


John  15.  18-25. 

THE  UPPER  ROOM  :  THE  DISCIPLES  AND 
THE  WORLD. 

18  If  the  world  hate  you,  ye  know  that  it  hated  me 

19  before  it  hated  you.  If  ye  were  of  the  world,  the 
world  would  love  his  own  :  but  because  ye  are  not 
of  the  world,  but  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world. 


St.  John  193 

20  therefore  the  world  hateth  you.  Remember  the 
word  that  I  said  unto  you,  The  servant  is  not  greater 
than  his  lord.  If  they  have  persecuted  me,  they 
will  also  persecute  you  ;  if  they  have  kept  my  saying, 

21  they  will  keep  yours  also.  But  all  these  things 
will  they  do  unto  you  for  my  name's  sake,  because 

22  they  know  not  him  that  sent  me.  If  I  had  not 
come  and  spoken  unto  them,  they  had  not  had  sin  : 

23  but  now  they  have  no  cloke  for  their  sin.     He  that 

24  hateth  me  hateth  my  Father  also.  If  I  had  not 
done  among  them  the  works  which  none  other  man 
did,  they  had  not  had  sin  :  but  now  have  they  both 

25  seen  and  hated  both  me  and  my  Father.  But  this 
Cometh  to  pass,  that  the  word  might  be  fulfilled 
that  is  written  in  their  law,  They  hated  me  without  a 
cause. 

This  section  makes,  as  stated  just  now,  a 
parenthesis  between  the  renewed  reiteration  of 
the  commandment  of  love  and  that  of  the  coming 
of  the  Comforter.  The  vision  of  the  band  of 
loving  disciples  linked  together  by  the  chains  of 
love  has  called  up  also  a  vision  of  the  hostile  world 
through  which  that  band  will  have  to  take  its  way. 
And  so  Jesus  seeks  to  hearten  the  disciples  against 
the  hatred  of  the  world,  to  lift  them  above  it;,  by 
reminding  them  that  their  experience  of  the 
world's  hostility  will  but  copy  His  own. 

18,  19.  the  world.  Meaning  the  whole  body 
of  unspiritual  ideals  —  materialistic,  pleasure- 
dominated,  and  sinful — and  all  who  live  by  them. 
The  idea  of  this  kingdom  of  low  ideals,  in  anti- 
thesis to  the  kingdom  of  spiritual  ideals,  is  frequent 
in  John's  First  Epistle.  Indeed,  1  John  3.  13 
seems  like  a  definite  reminiscence  of  this 
conversation. 


194  Westminster  New  Testament 

The  union  between  the  disciples  and  Jesus 
would  make  the  disciples  of  so  distinctive  a  spiritual 
quality  that  the  "world"  could  not  but  hate 
them. 

20.  Remember  the  word,  etc.  See  13.  i6. 
Here,  however,  the  application  is  different.  In^ 
the  previous  instance,  the  inference  was  that  the 
disciples  must  not  deem  themselves  too  great  for 
lowly  service — here,  that  they  must  be  willing  to 
suffer,  as  their  Master  suffered. 

21.  all  these  things.  An  elliptical  construction, 
but  the  reference  is  clearly  to  the  persecuting 
spoken  of  in  v.  20. 

for  my  name's  sake.  Recognising  Jesus  in 
the  disciples. 

because  they  know  not  him  that  sent 
me.  The  persecutors  will  recognise  Jesus  in  His 
followers,  but  they  will  not  recognise  God  and 
God's  authority  either  in  Jesus  or  in  His  followers. 
They  will  recognise  just  enough  to  make  them 
hate  and  persecute,  but  not  enough  to  make  them 
submit. 

22.  The  thought  of  Jesus  passes  to  a  slightly 
different  line.  These  men,  who  have  never 
"known"  or  recognised  the  divineness  in  Jesus, 
are  without  excuse.  For,  as  Jesus  has  repeatedly 
claimed,  the  revelation  in  Him  was  so  clear  that 
only  wilful  blindness  could  fail  to  see. 

23.  A  repetition  of  v.  22.  To  hate  Jesus  is  to 
have  no  eye  for  God. 

24.  the  works  which  none  other  man  did. 
Jesus  frequently  passes  from  the  evidential  value 
of  what  He  is  to  the  evidential  value  of  what 
He  does — though  always  with  the  implication  of  a 
descent.     If  the  unbelievers  are  unable  to  appre- 


St.  John  195 

ciate  the  majesty  of  His  holiness^  the  witness  of  His 
works  is  at  least  clear  and  tangible.  Even  the 
morally  blinded  or  half-blinded  ought  to  admit 
that. 

For  a  similar  transition  to  the  evidential  worth 
of  "works"  see  10.  38  and  14.  11. 

25.  See  Psalms  35.  19  and  69.  4. 


John  15.  26-16.  15. 

THE  UPPER  ROOM  :  JESUS  AGAIN  FORE- 
TELLS THE  COMING  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 

26  But  when  the  Comforter  is  come,  whom  I  will  send 
unto  you  from  the  Father,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth, 
which  proceedeth  from   the  Father,  he  shall  testify 

27  of  me :  And  ye  also  shall  bear  witness,  because  ye 

1  have  been  with  me  from  the  beginning.  These 
things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  ye  should  not 

2  be  offended.  They  shall  put  you  out  of  the  syna- 
gogues :  yea,  the  time  cometh,  that  whosoever 
killeth  you  will   think  that  he  doeth  God  service. 

3  And   these   things  will   they  do  unto  you,   because 

4  they  have  not  known  the  Father,  nor  me.  But 
these  things  have  I  told  you,  that  when  the  time 
shall  come,  ye  may  remember  that  I  told  you  of 
them.     And  these  things  I  said  not  unto  you  at  the 

5  beginning,  because  I  was  with  you.  But  now  I  go 
my  way  to  him  that  sent  me  ;    and  none  of  you 

6  asketh  me.  Whither  goest  thou  ?  But  because  I 
have  said  these  things  unto  you,  sorrow  hath  filled 

7  your  heart.  Nevertheless  I  tell  you  the  truth;  It 
is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away  :  for  if  I  go  not 
away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you  ;    but 

8  if  I  depart,  I  will  send  him   unto  you.     And  when 


196  Westminster  New  Testament 

he  is  come,  he  will  reprove  the  world  of  siu,  and  of 
9  righteousness,    and   of   judgment  :    Of   sin,    because 

10  they  believe  not  on  me  ;  Of  righteousness,  because 

11  I  go  to  my  Father,  and  ye  see  me  no  more  ;  Of 
judgment,  because  the  prince  of  this  world  is  judged. 

12  I   have  yet  many  things   to  say  unto  you,  but  ye 

1 3  cannot  bear  them  now.  Howbeit  when  he,  the  Spirit 
of  truth,  is  come,  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth  : 
for  he  shall  not  speak  of  himself  ;  but  whatsoever 
he  shall  hear,   that  shall     he    speak  :    and  he  will 

14  shew  you  things  to  come.  He  shall  glorify  me  : 
for  he  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall  shew  it  unto 

1 5  you.  All  things  that  the  Father  hath  are  mine : 
therefore  said  I,  that  he  shall  take  of  mine,  and  shall 
shew  it  unto  you. 

It  was  previously  noted  that  Jesus  is  now  making 
the  same  movement  of  thought  as  before.  Just  as 
He  has  already  passed  from  the  idea  of  the  love 
which  He  would  have  existing  among  His  followers 
aftc'-  His  death  (chap.  13)  to  the  idea  of  the 
coming  of  the  Spirit  (14.  15-26),  so  now  He  passes 
from  the  exhortation  to  love  contained  in  15.  12-17 
to  a  further  prophecy  of  the  Spirit's  advent.  There 
has  been  in  this  instance  a  parenthetical  utterance 
concerning  the  relation  of  the  disciples  to  the 
world,  but  the  main  movement  of  thought  is  the 
same. 

There  is,  in  this  presentation  of  it,  an  added 
element  in  the  idea  of  the  Spirit's  coming.  The 
Spirit  is  still  looked  upon,  as  before,  as  being  the 
continued  life  and  presence  of  Jesus  Himself;  but 
there  is  the  additional  idea  that  the  Spirit  will 
bring  the  vindication  of  Jesus  against  the  unbelief 
of  men  (16.  8-11).  In  the  main,  however,  not- 
withstanding such  slight  modifications  or  additions 


St.  John  197 

as  these  (just  as  in  the  allegory  of  the  vine  the 
realisation  of  the  continued  life  of  Jesus  was  looked 
at  from  the  standpoint  of  duty  rather  than  of 
privilege),  the  thought  of  Jesus  is  occupied  with 
the  two  main  ideas  of  the  whole  discourse — the 
idea  of  the  spirit  the  disciples  should  show,  and 
the  idea  that  He  Himself  would  be  with  them 
still. 

26.  the  Comforter.  Or/^  Advocate."  See  on 
14.  17. 

whom  I  will  send.  "  I  "  is  emphatic.  Jesus 
insists  at  every  opportunity  upon  the  truth  that 
the  Spirit  is  His  own  continued  influence. 

he  shall  testify  of  me.    The  thought  of  the 

world's  hatred  of  Him  is  still  lingering  in  the 
mind  of  Jesus,  although  He  is  passing  on  to  another 
topic.  Hence  this  phrase.  Hence  also  the  assertion 
that  the  Spirit  will  vindicate  Jesus,  which  we  shall 
presently  come  upon  in  vv.  8-11. 

27.  And  ye  also  shall  bear  witness,  etc. 
The  disciples,  having  known  the  historical  Jesus, 
would  find  the  true  manifestations  of  the  Spirit  to 
be  in  entire  harmony  with  that  knowledge.  One 
may  deduce  the  inference  that  nothing  claiming  to 
be  the  work  of  the  Spirit  is  really  so  unless  it 
reveals  that  harmony.  The  historical  Christ  is  the 
basis  and  the  test. 

1.  These  things.  Referring,  in  this  instance, 
not  to  the  discourse  as  a  whole,  but  specially  to 
the  matter  just  now  in  hand.  Whatever  might 
happen  to  the  disciples,  however  they  might  grieve 
for  Jesus'  loss,  and  whatever  suffering  might  come 
upon  them  (v.  2),  they  would  be  kept  from  utter 
bewilderment  and  failure  if  they  remembered 
Jesus'  words. 


198  Westminster  New  Testament 

be  offended.  Better,  as  in  R.V.,  ^^made  to 
stumble" — in  the  path  of diseipleship. 

2,  3.  The  history  of  the  Church  has  proved  this 
on  a  large  scale.  Much  persecution  has  been  in 
the  name  of  God  Himself.  But  this  has  only  been 
possible  because  (v.  3)  the  character  of  God  and 
Christ  has  been  Avrongly  apprehended. 

4.  And  these  things  I  said  not  unto  you, 
etc.  It  had  not  been  necessary  at  first  to  guard 
the  disciples  against  the  sadness  of  parting.  Yet 
Jesus  had  often  foretold  His  death,  although  not 
entering  upon  the  subject,  and  upon  its  relation  to 
the  spiritual  future  of  His  followers,  with  fulness. 

5,  6.  and  none  of  you  asketh  me,  etc  But 
see  13.  S6,  where  Peter  has  put  precisely  this 
question.  It  had,  however,  been  out  of  all 
relation  to  the  real  position.  Peter  had  had  no 
conception  of  that  ^^  going  to  the  Father"  of  which 
Jesus  was  full ;  and  consequently  only  sorrow  had 
entered  into  his  heart  and  that  of  his  companions. 
Had  thev  understood,  they  would  have  rejoiced 
(14.   28> 

7.  It  is  expedient,  etc.  This  coming  of  the 
Spirit  to  take  the  place  of  the  visible  Lord  was  not 
a  matter  of  making  the  best  of  things,  a  more  or 
less  satisfactory  compensation.  It  was  really  to 
the  spiritual  advantage  of  the  disciples ;  and  it 
was  a  loftier  experience  to  which  they  would  be 
introduced. 

8.  reprove.  Better,  as  in  margin,  "  convince," 
or  as  in  K.V.,  "convict." 

9.  Of  sin.  The  manifest  results  of  the  Spirit's 
ministry  would  be  a  decisive  proof  that  in  rejecting 
Jesus,  whose  ministry  the  Spirit  perpetuated,  the 
world  had  committed  sin. 


St.  John  199 

10.  Of  righteousness.  Similarly,  the  results 
of  the  Spirit's  ministry  -vvould  all  be  in  the  direc- 
tion of  holiness,  and  the  world  would  be  compelled 
to  admit  the  fact. 

11.  Of  judgment.  The  fruits  of  the  Spirit 
would  stand  as  the  condemnation  of  the 
spirit  of  the  world,  and  would  mark  the  latter's 
defeat. 

12-14.  many  things.  All  that  Jesus  had  said 
to  His  disciples  was  but  a  beginning.  The  future 
reign  of  the  Spirit  was  to  be  a  time,  not  only  of 
repetition,  but  of  enlargement  and  development. 
Fuller  vision  of  all  the  spiritual  ideals  for  which 
Jesus  stood  (and,  of  course,  since  nowhere  in  this 
discourse  is  a  merely  intellectual  advance  looked 
upon  as  the  principal  thing,  fuller  power  to 
realise  them)  would  be  the  note  of  the  Spirit's 
reign. 

ye  cannot  bear  them  now.  Not,  ^^ye  cannot 
understand."  The  disciples  were  not  yet  at  the 
point  of  spiritual  growth  at  which  they  could 
endure  the  vision  of  the  highest  spiritual  ideals. 
Again,  it  is  not  the  intellectual  side  of  things  on 
which  the  emphasis  falls. 

he  shall  not  speak  of  himself.  Once  more, 
insistence  on  the  truth  that  Jesus  and  the  Spirit 
are  one.  V.  14  yet  again  insists  on  the  one- 
ness of  the  Spirit's  ministry  with  that  of  Jesus 
Himself. 

15.  As  the  Spirit  possesses  the  things  of  Jesus 
(v.  14),  so  Jesus  possesses  the  things  of  the 
Father,  and  thus  the  uniting  chain  runs  through 
the  Three  in  One. 


Westminster  New  Testament 


John  16.  16-24. 

THE  UPPER  ROOM  :  JESUS  GOING  AND 
RETURNING. 

16  A  little  while,  and  ye  shall  not  see  me  :  and  again,  a 
little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me,  because  I  go  to  the 

17  Father.  Then  said  some  of  his  disciples  among 
themselves,  What  is  this  that  he  saith  unto  us,  A 
little  while,  and  ye  shall  not  see  me  :  and  again,  a 
little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me  :  and,  Because  I  go 

18  to  the  Father  ?  They  said  therefore.  What  is  this 
that  he  saith,  A  little  while  ?  we  cannot  tell  what 

19  he  saith.  Now  Jesus  knew  that  they  were  desirous 
to  ask  him,  and  said  unto  them,  Do  ye  enquire 
among  yourselves  of  that  I  said,  A  little  while,  and 
ye  shall  not  see  me  :  and  again,  a  little  while,  and  ye 

20  shall  see  me  ?  Veril}^  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  That 
ye  shall  weep  and  lament,  but  the  world  shall  rejoice  : 
and  ye  shall  be  sorrowful,  but  your  sorrow  shall  be 

21  turned  into  joy.  A  woman  when  she  is  in  travail 
hath  sorrow,  because  her  hour  is  come  :  but  as  soon 
as  she  is  deHvered  of  the  child,  she  remembereth  no 
more  the  anguish,  for  joy  that  a  man  is  born  into 

22  the  world.  And  ye  now  therefore  have  sorrow :  but 
I  will  see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice, 

23  and  your  joy  no  man  taketh  from  you.  And  in 
that  day  ye  shall  ask  me  notliiug.  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father 

24  in  my  name,  he  will  give  it  you.  Hitherto  have 
ye  asked  nothing  in  my  name  :  ask,  and  ye  shall 
receive,  that  your  joy  may  be  full. 

In  this  section  Jesus  puts  in  still  another  way — 
without  actual  metaphor,  and  yet  without  making 
an  explicit  declaration  that    it  is  to  death  He  is 


St.  John  20I 

referring — the  truth  that  He  is  about  to  leave  His 
disciples,  and  to  return  to  them  again.  He  is 
preparing,  by  His  adoption  of  most  literal  language, 
for  that  explicit  declaration,  which  He  has  avoided 
hitherto,  since  the  disciples  were  not  ready  to 
endure  it.  See  on  vv.  17,  18,  and  on  the  following 
section. 

16.  The  first  "little  while"  refers,  of  course,  to 
the  impending  death  on  the  Cross.  The  second 
"little  while"  refers  to  that  spiritual  coming  of 
Jesus  whereof  He  has  been  speaking,  and 
which  would  be  made  possible  by  His  return  to 
God. 

17,  18.  The  disciples  had  not  yet  grasped  what 
was  indicated  by  this  "going  away"  of  which 
their  Master  M^as  speaking.  Peter,  for  instance, 
had  taken  it  to  be  something  in  the  nature  of  a 
literal  journey  (13.  37).  And  if  the  thought  of 
death  had  occurred  to  them,  as  in  view  of  previous 
predictions  of  Jesus  it  well  might  do,  they  had 
not  let  it  take  hold.  And  the  whole  thing  was 
further  complicated  for  them  by  the  recurring 
reference  to  "going  to  the  Father."  What  could 
this  mean  ?  It  might  throw  doubt  upon  the 
simpler  solutions  as  to  "going  away"  (the  solution 
of  a  journey,  etc.),  but  it  did  not,  for  the  disciples, 
bring  its  own  solution. 

19.  Jesus,  desiring  to  lead  up  to  the  definite 
statement  that  it  is  of  death  He  has  all  through 
been  speaking,  takes  the  initiative  of  the  discussion. 
The  disciples  were  perhaps  afraid  of  asking  for 
further  explanations. 

20.  This  is  a  further  preparation.  Death  is  not 
mentioned,  but  the  foretold  incidents — the  sorrow 
of  the  disciples,  and  the  joy  of  the  hostile  world — 


202  Westminster  New  Testament 

are  such  as  the  death  of  Jesus  might  be  expected 
to  produce. 

21-22.  Yet  further  preparation.  Jesus  now 
adds,  however^  the  comforting  statement  that  He 
will  see  them  again.  Joined  to  the  statement  in 
V.  16  that  the  disciples  would  see  Him,  it  fore- 
tells a  resumption  of  that  mutual  companionship — 
the  give  and  take  of  fellowship,  so  to  say — which 
was  soon  to  be  closed  in  its  present  form. 

23.  Ye  shall  ask  me  nothing.    That  is,  ye 

shall  have  no  more  puzzling  questions  to  put.  In 
that  renewed  spiritual  fellowship  all  inquiries 
would  be  answered,  all  longings  satisfied.  This 
experience  of  course  still  waits  for  realisation, 
since  men  do  not  pass  into  the  fulness  of  spiritual 
fellowship  that  is  open  to  them. 
Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask,  etc.    "Ask"  here 

is  a  different  word.  Jesus  is  returning  in  this 
phrase  to  the  idea  of  effectual  prayer,  as  resulting 
from  real  spiritual  fellowship  with  Him.  See  14. 
14,  and  15.  I6. 

24.  Hitherto  have  ye  asked  nothing,  etc. 

They  had  not  yet  understood  the  greatness  of  the 
privileges  given  to  them  through  their  communion 
with  Jesus.  The  fact  of  His  physical  presence, 
while  a  needful  beginning  of  the  larger  experience, 
had  in  a  manner  been  a  barrier.  The  spiritual 
union  which  after  He  was  gone  would  be  more 
easily  possible  to  them,  would  lead  them  into  a 
realisation  of  their  privilege,  and  so  to  a  "  fulfill- 
ing "  of  their  joy. 


St.  John  20: 


John  16.  25-33. 

THE  UPPER  ROOM  :   THE  EXPLICIT 
DECLARATION. 

25  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you  in  proverbs  : 
but  the  time  cometh,  when  I  shall  no  more  speak 
unto  you  in  proverbs,  but  I  shall  shew  you  plainly 

26  of  the  Father.  At  that  day  ye  shall  ask  in  my 
name  :  and  I  say  not  unto  you,  that  I  will  pray  the 

27  Father  for  you  :  For  the  Father  himself  loveth 
you,  because  ye  have  loved  me,  and  have  believed 

28  that  I  came  out  from  God.  I  came  forth  from  the 
Father,  and  am  come  into  the  world  :  again,  I  leave 

29  the  world,  and  go  to  the  Father.  His  disciples 
said  unto  him,  Lo,  now  speakest  thou  plainly,  and 

30  speakest  no  proverb.  Now  are  we  sure  that  thou 
knowest  all  things,  and  needest  not  that  any  man 
should    ask    thee :    by   this    we     believe    that    thou 

31  camest  forth  from  God.     Jesus  answered  them,  Do 

32  ye  now  believe  ?  Behold,  the  hour  cometh,  yea, 
is  now  come,  that  ye  shall  be  scattered,  every  man 
to  his  own,  and  shall  leave  me  alone :  and  yet  I  am 

33  not  alone,  because  the  Father  is  with  me.  These 
things  I  have  spoken  unto  you,  that  in  me  ye  might 
have  peace.  In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation  : 
but  be  of  good  cheer  ;  I  have  overcome  the  world. 

At  last  Jesus  makes  the  definite  and  categorical 
declaration  (v.  28)  that  He  is  about  to  leave  the 
world.  And  at  last  the  disciples  understand.  It 
may  seem  strange  that  their  bewilderment  and 
uncertainty  had  endured  so  long ;  but^  notwith- 
standing the  many  prophecies  of  His  decease 
which  Jesus  had  given,  and  notwithstanding  the 
hints   which    had    throughout    this    conversation 


204  Westminster  New  Testament 

been  repeatedly  thrown  out,  they  had  not  realised 
that  the  end  was  so  near.  That  it  would  come 
some  time,  they  may  have  felt  sure.  But  the 
imminence  of  the  crisis  was  hidden  from  their 
eyes. 

The  declaration  has  been  withheld  hitherto — 
there  has  been  only  the  preparation  for  it,  the 
leading  up  to  it — because  the  disciples  were  not 
fitted  for  it.  All  this  that  Jesus  had  been  trying 
to  make  them  understand — the  going  to  the 
Father,  the  continuance  of  His  life  in  the  Father 
and  in  the  Spirit  that  was  to  come — they  had  not 
grasped  ;  and  without  a  grasp  upon  all  this,  the 
idea  of  death  w^ould  come  upon  them  with  too 
paralysing  effect.  What  Jesus  desired  was  that 
together  with  the  realisation  of  His  impending 
death,  they  should  have  a  realisation  of  what  was 
to  be  beyond  His  death ;  and  it  is  to  this  that  He 
has  been  seeking  to  bring  them.  Now,  however, 
the  definite  declaration  can  no  longer  be  delayed. 

25.  These  things.  Referring  now  to  the  dis- 
course in  its  bearing  upon  His  impending  departure. 

in  proverbs.  Or,  '^in  parables."  The  word 
embraces  any  utterance  which  requires  further 
utterance  fully  to  elucidate  it. 

the  time  COmeth,  etc.  In  one  sense  Jesus 
is  just  on  the  point  of  speaking  plainly.  But 
the  phrase  ''  of  the  Father "  indicates  that  this 
particular  sentence  looks  on  to  the  time  when 
under  the  ministry  of  the  Spirit  the  disciples 
should  be  sufficiently  enlightened  to  understand 
mysteries  hidden  now.  For  it  is  not  precisely  of 
the  Father,  but  of  His  death,  that  the  immediate 
statement  of  Jesus  is  going  to  tell. 

26,  27.  This  also  shows  that  it  is  of  the  time  of 


St.  John  205 

fuller  spiritual  life  that  Jesus  is  thinking  in  v.  25. 
The  point  of  the  verse  is  that  by  and  by  the 
disciples  will  realise  the  entire  oneness  of  Jesus 
with  God,  and  consequently  (although  the  Son 
always  remains  the  Mediator)  they  will  not  think 
of  Him  as  persuading  a  reluctant  God. 

28.  This  verse  gives  the  explicit  declaration 
that  all  through  Jesus  has  had  death  in  mind. 
There  could  be  no  mistake  as  to  what  was  meant 
by  "  I  leave  the  world."  Even  now,  however, 
Jesus  couples  with  the  declaration  the  other 
declaration,  that  He  came  from  God  and  returns 
to  God. 

29,  30.  The  disciples  understand  at  last.  And 
yet  they  do  not  fully  understand ;  for  the  fulness 
of  meaning  implied  in  the  phrase  '^I  go  to  the 
Father"  had  received  no  further  elucidation,  and 
this  would  be  hidden  from  them  still.  But, 
passing  this  by,  they  seize  upon  the  one  clear 
point.  Delivered  from  mystery,  they  can  believe 
— a  curious  sidelight  on  human  nature.  They  are 
impressed  by  the  fact  that  Jesus  can  thus  foretell 
the  end  ("  Now  are  we  sure  that  thou  knowest  all 
things,"  V.  30),  and,  although  the  "  going  to  God  " 
is  still  put  aside  in  their  thought,  they  can  take 
Jesus  without  hesitation  as  having  "come  from 
God."  That  is,  not  in  the  full  sense  of  the  words, 
but  in  the  sense  of  being  a  Teacher  of  the  truth. 
The  fact  that  the  words  of  the  disciples  almost 
have  a  ring  of  relief  in  them,  spite  of  the  predic- 
tion of  death  which  has  been  at  last  understood, 
serves  to  show  how  heavily  the  oppression  of 
mystery  had  lain  upon  the  disciples'  minds  during 
the  whole  talk. 

31,  32.  A  touch  of  sadness   is    in    Jesus'  tone. 


2o6  Westminster  New  Testament 

He  knows  that  this  "  belief"  of  the  disciples  (the 
belief  based  on  the  supposed  dissipation  of  mystery) 
will  not  take  them  very  far.  For  the  fulfilment 
of  the  prediction,  see  Matthew  26.  56.  And  yet 
the  old  comfort  recurs  once  again — the  thought 
that  "the  Father  is  with  me." 

33.  These  things.  Referring  now  to  the 
whole  discourse — not  only  in  its  bearing  upon  His 
death,  but  in  every  detail  of  it.  It  has  all  been 
uttered  in  order  that  the  disciples  might  be  at  rest. 

In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation,  etc. 
There  could  be  no  promise  of  escape  from  this. 
But  because  Jesus  had  overcome,  the  disciples  too 
were  to  overcome.  And  this  could  only  be  through 
their  inward  union  with  Him — since  only  thus 
could  He  make  His  victory  theirs.  And  so  the 
discourse  ends  upon  the  note  which  has  been 
repeatedly  struck  as  it  went  on — struck,  indeed, 
repeatedly  through  the  whole  Gospel — the  note 
of  absolute  identification  between  the  disciple  and 
his  Lord.     "  In  Him  "  they  might  have  peace. 


John  17. 

THE  UPPER  ROOM  :  THE  INTERCESSORY 
PRAYER  OF  JESUS. 

This  chapter  contains  the  intercessory,  or  high- 
priestly,  prayer  of  Jesus.  In  it  we  have  the  most 
marvellous  outpouring  of  the  Master's  heart  that 
the  New  Testament  records.  It  is  full  of  tender 
yearning  over  the  disciples,  breathing  the  loftiest 
desires  for  them  :  it  reveals  the  intensity  of  Jesus' 
own  consecration  to  His  mission  and  His  devotion 


St.  John  207 

to  His  Father's  glory :  and  at  the  same  time  it 
testifies  to  the  profound  intimacy,  the  relation 
of  entire  harmony,  between  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  and  to  the  repose  which  the  heart  of  Jesus 
found  in  lying  back  upon  the  heart  of  God. 
Perhaps  one  of  the  most  curious  examples  of 
criticism  is  found  in  Bretschneider's  remark,  that 
this  prayer  is  "  cold,  dogmatic,  metaphysical." 
The  judgment  of  the  sympathetic  student  who 
brings  to  the  reading  of  this  chapter  any  spiritual 
insight  and  any  understanding  of  the  fundamental 
conceptions  of  Jesus  as  the  Fourth  Gospel  delivers 
them,  will  surely  be  to  a  precisely  opposite  effect. 
The  whole  prayer  pulses  with  love  and  life. 

The  prayer — especially  in  the  second  and  third 
divisions  of  it — centres  upon  the  conception  which, 
as  we  have  seen,  is  the  main  conception  of  the 
Fourth  Gospel,  the  conception  of  Jesus  as  the 
Author  and  Source  of  actual  life  to  men.  The 
object  of  the  supplication  is  that  the  experience 
of  the  disciples,  and  of  all  subsequent  generations 
of  believers,  may  be  raised  to  this  level,  and  that 
all  may  be  '^  one  "  in  the  possession  of  this  divine 
life  which  the  Son  receives  from  the  Father  and 
hands  on  to  His  followers.  So  that  when,  later  on, 
John  declares  the  purpose  of  his  book  to  be  "that 
ye  might  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God ;  and  that  believing  ye  might  have  life 
through  his  name,"  he  does  but  make  his  own  the 
object  which  in  this  prayer  Jesus  Himself  reveals 
as  being  His  heart's  desire. 

For  convenience,  the  usual  divisions  of  the 
prayer  may  be  adopted.  First,  Jesus'  prayer  for 
Himself  (vv.  1-5).  Second,  Jesus'  prayer  for 
His    disciples   (vv.    6-19).      Third,   Jesus'    prayer 


2o8  Westminster  New  Testament 

for  subsequent  believers,  or  the  Church  (vv.  20- 
24).  Fourth,  a  final  confidential  utterance  from 
the  Son  to  the  Father  (vv.  25,  26). 

(A)  1-5.  Jesus'  Prayer  for  Himself. 

1  These  words  spake  Jesus,  and  lifted  up  his  eyes 
to  heaven,  and  said.  Father,  the  hour  is  come  ; 
glorify   thy   Son,    that    thy  Son    also    may   glorify 

2  thee  :  As  thou  hast  given  him  power  over  all  flesh, 
that  he  should  give  eternal  life  to  as  many  as  thou 

3  hast  given  him.  And  this  is  Ufe  eternal,  that  they 
might   know   thee,    the    only  true   God,   and   Jesus 

4  Christ,  whom  thou  hast  sent.  I  have  glorified 
thee  on  the  earth  :   I  have  finished  the  work  which 

5  thou  gavest  me  to  do.  And  now,  O  Father,  glorify 
thou  me  with  thine  own  self  with  the  glory  which  I 
had  with  thee  before  the  world  was. 

1.  the  hour  is  come,  etc.  Compare  12.  23. 
This  "  glorifying "  of  the  Son  was  a  repeated 
process,  a  process  carried  through  whenever  the 
Son  made  a  renewed  acceptance  of  His  mission 
even  unto  death.  The  Son's  glory  and  honour 
lay  in  this  surrender  to  the  Father's  will.  This 
request  is  equivalent  to  a  fresh  laying  of  Himself 
upon  the  altar  of  sacrifice  on  Jesus'  part.  "Let 
Me  have  the  glory  of  performing  Thy  will  unto  the 
end." 

that  thy  Son  also  may  glorify  thee.  By 
accepting  the  glory  of  submission,  Jesus  gave  back 
to  the  Father  the  glory  of  seeing  His  purpose 
fulfilled.     See  13.  31,  32. 

2.  as.  Meaning  that  the  prayer  in  v.  1  is  in 
harmony  with  the  purpose  for  which  the  Father 
has  sent  the  Son.  Only  by  this  "  glorifying " 
could  the  "  eternal  life "  be  given. 


St.  John  209 

eternal  life.  Here  we  come  upon  the  first 
mention  in  this  prayer  of  its  dominating  idea — 
the  idea  of  "  life "  given  to  men  from  Jesus,  its 
Source.  It  is  the  great  idea  of  this  Gospel,  and, 
while  running  all  through  its  chapters,  has  been 
specially  insisted  on  and  expounded  in  chapters  5.  1 
to  10.  18,  as  we  have  seen.  The  whole  prayer  can 
only  be  understood  as  this  idea  is  borne  in  mind 
through  the  study  of  it,  and  as  it  is  remembered 
that  by  this  conception  Jesus'  own  mind  was 
possessed. 

to  as  many  as  thou  hast  given  him.    See 

on  6.  39,  44,  45. 

3.  that  they  might  know.  The  word 
"know"  must  be  taken  in  its  full  signification. 
Like  "believe,"  the  other  great  word  which 
describes  the  adjustment  of  man's  personality  to 
Jesus,  it  goes  far  beyond  any  intellectual  process. 
Since  it  is  actual  "  life  "  that  is  given  in  the  Son, 
man's  adjustment  to  Jesus  must  be  that  of  self- 
identification  with  Him,  and  through  Him,  with 
God  ;  and  it  is  thus  that  "  know  "  must  be  under- 
stood. 

Jesus  Christ.  The  only  instance  in  which 
Jesus  applies  the  title  "  Christ "  to  Himself  It 
has  been  suggested  by  some  who  think  it  unlikely 
that  on  this  single  occasion  Jesus  should  have  done 
so,  that  the  Evangelist  puts  upon  Jesus'  lips  the 
designation  which  had  later  on  become  customary. 

4,  5.  Jesus  looks  back  on  what  has  been,  and 
forward  upon  what  was  to  be.  His  work  is  done 
(although  the  Cross  had  not  yet  been  endured, 
Jesus  in  His  perfect  submission  feels  that  it  lies, 
as  it  were,  already  in  the  past),  and  before  Him  is 
the  return  to  that  relation  with  the  Father  wherein 

14 


2IO  Westminster  New  Testament 

in  eternity  He  had  stood.  It  is  not  to  be  inferred 
from  the  fact  of  Jesus  praying  for  this  that  He 
had  any  doubt  about  it.  His  utterance  is  rather  a 
peaceful  acceptance  of  the  situation — a  soUloquy 
of  His  own  soul. 

(B)  6-1 9.  Jesus'  Prayer  for  the  Disciples. 

6  I  have  manifested  thy  name  unto  the  men  which  thou 
gavest  me  out  of  the  world :  thine  they  were,  and 
thou  gavest  them  me ;  and  they  have  kept  thy  word. 

7  Now  they  have  known  that  all  things  whatsoever 

8  thou  hast  given  me  are  of  thee.  For  I  have  given 
unto  them  the  words  which  thou  gavest  me  ;  and 
they  have  received  them,  and  have  known  surely 
that  I  came  out  from  thee,  and  they  have  believed 

9  that  thou  didst  send  me.  I  pray  for  them  :  I  pray 
not  for  the  world,  but   for   them  which   thou  hast 

10  given  me  ;  for  they  are  thine.  And  all  mine  are 
thine,  and  thine  are   mine  ;    and   I   am  glorified  in 

11  them.  And  now  I  am  no  more  in  the  world,  but 
these  are  in  the  world,  and  I  come  to  thee.  Holy 
Father,  keep  through  thine  own  name  those  whom 
thou  hast  given   me,  that  they  may  be  one,  as  we 

12  are.  While  I  was  with  them  in  the  world,  I  kept 
them  in  thy  name :  those  that  thou  gavest  me 
I  have  kept,  and  none  of  them  is  lost,  but  the  son  of 
perdition  ;    that    the    scripture    might    be    fulfilled. 

13  And  now  come  I  to  thee  ;  and  these  things  I  speak 
in  the  world,  that  they  might  have  my  joy  fulfilled 

14  in  themselves.  I  have  given  them  thy  word  ;  and 
the  world  hath  hated  them,  because  they  are  not 

15  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world.  I  pray 
not  that  thou  shouldest  take  them  out  of  the  world, 
but   that  thou  shouldest  keep  them  from  the  evil. 

16  They  are   not   of  the  world,  even  as  I   am  not  of 

17  the  world.     Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth  :    thy 


St.  John  211 


1 8  word  is  truth.     As  thou  hast  sent  me  into  the  world, 

19  even  so  have  I  also  sent  them  into  the  world.  And 
for  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself,  that  they  also 
might  be  sanctified  through  the  truth. 

6.  I  have  manifested  thy  name,  etc.    In 

part  an  amplification  of  the  statement  in  v.  4.  But 
more  especially,  in  view  of  the  things  Jesus  is  about 
to  ask  on  the  disciples'  behalf,  the  meaning  is  that 
the  beginning  has  been  made  in  that  process  of 
spiritual  development  whose  continuance  and  com- 
pletion is  desired. 

thine  they  were.  They  had  been  of  those 
who  carried  within  them  something  that  could 
respond  to  the  revelation  of  God. 

thou  gavest  them  me.  The  Father,  having 
manifested  Himself  in  the  Son,  had  consequently 
''  given  "  or  "  drawn  to  "  the  Son  all  who  could 
recognise  the  divine.  In  the  nature  of  things, 
they  belonged  to  Jesus.     See  6.   37. 

they  have  kept  thy  word.  Not  perfectly; 
but  Jesus  again  (as  in  13.  10  and  15.  3)  sees  their 
condition  ideally  complete. 

7,  8.  Again,  a  declaration  that  the  disciples  had 
taken  the  initial  steps. 

9.  I  pray  not  for  the  world.  Not,  of  course, 
that  Jesus  did  not  yearn  over  the  world,  but  that 
at  this  time  He  had  a  special  purpose. 

10.  A  declaration  that  it  was — speaking  humanly 
— a  natural  thing  for  Jesus  to  pray  for  His  own. 
For  His  own  were  God's  own,  and  God's  own  were 
Jesus'  own — in  praying  for  His  disciples,  therefore, 
Jesus  was  praying  for  those  who  were  God's. 

I  am  glorified  in  them.  The  glory  of  Jesus 
is  bound  up  with  the  spiritual  welfare  of  these 
disciples.       By     hearing     His     prayer    for    them, 


212  Westminster  New  Testament 

therefore,    God    will   preserve  the    glory   of  His 
Son. 
11.  And  now  I  am  no  more  in  the  world. 

A  simple  statement  of  the  occasion  giving  rise 
to  the  prayer.  The  very  simplicity  of  it — for  of 
course  an  obvious  remark,  from  a  critical  point  of 
view,  would  be  that  surely  the  Father  knew  all 
this  before — shows  how  intimately  Jesus  was  able 
to  speak  to  His  Father's  ear.  Nothing  is  too 
small,  as  nothing  is  too  large,  to  be  mentioned. 

Holy  Father.  Holiness  is  the  essential  quality 
of  that  divine  life  in  which  the  disciples  are  to 
participate.  Appropriately,  therefore,  Jesus  em- 
phasises the  epithet  "  Holy "  in  addressing  the 
Father  concerning  the  disciples'  future. 

through  thine  own  name.    Better,  as  in  R.V., 

^^in  thy  name" — the  ^^name"  standing  for  the 
whole  nature.  "  Keep  truly  united  with  Thine 
own  nature." 

that  they  may  be  one,  as  we  are.  If  the 
disciples  were  all  united  with  the  "  name "  or 
"  life  "  of  God,  they  would  necessarily  be  one.  All 
drawing  life  from  the  same  Source,  life  would  in  all 
be  the  same.  The  phrase  goes  far  beyond  the  sense 
in  which  it  is  most  frequently  taken,  far  beyond 
the  idea  of  agreement  or  harmony  of  thought  and 
feeling  (similarly  vv.  22,  23).  It  is  still  the  idea 
of  life  that  rules ;  and  what  Jesus  desires  is  that 
through  the  disciples'  union  with  God — being 
"kept  in"  God — there  shall  be  a  oneness  in  the 
essential  nature  of  life  and  being  in  them  all. 
All  of  them  shall  possess  the  same  spiritual  reality, 
something  of  the  same  spiritual  substance,  within. 
The  words  "as  we  are"  carry  this  implication,  for 
it  is  in  this  sense  that  Son  and  Father  are  one. 


St.  John  213 

12.  I  kept  them  in  thy  name.  Once  again, 
ideally  true.  They  had  not  allowed  themselves  to 
be  perfectly  kept.  But  in  so  far  as  they  had 
entered  into  the  divine  revelation,  it  had  been 
through  the  direct  influence  of  Jesus  Himself. 

the  son  of  perdition.  "Son  of  perishing." 
The  words  are  here  applied  individually  to  Judas 
Iscariot ;  but  in  2  Thessalonians  2.  3  they  are  used 
of  the  spirit  in  an  impersonal  and  general  sense. 

that  the  scripture,  etc    See  on  13.  18. 

1 3.  This  is  an  echo  of  a  word  previously  spoken 
in  the  upper  room  (see  15.  11). 

in  the  world.  Not,  as  frequently  (and  as  in 
the  next  verse),  ^^the  world  of  evil,"  but  simply 
"  while  I  am  still  on  earth." 

14.  Compare  15.  18.  Jesus  states  the  position 
between  the  disciples  and  the  world,  as  it  has  been 
and  as  it  must  be.  It  was  to  become  yet  more 
true  that  the  world  hated  them. 

15.  I  pray  not,  etc.  Although  Jesus  Himself 
was  about  to  be  taken  out  of  the  world.  He  could 
not  ask  that  His  disciples  should  go  with  Him. 
They  had  still  their  earthly  work  to  do,  as  He  His 
heavenly. 

from  the  evil.  The  R.V.  has  the  "  evil  one." 
But  as  "from"  really  means  "out  of,"  the  A.V. 
probably  gives  the  preferable  rendering. 

16.  This  gives  the  ground  of  the  following 
petition.  Because  they  are  not  of  the  world, 
therefore  let  them  be  "sanctified"  or  "conse- 
crated "  from  above. 

17.  Sanctify  them.  Preferably  "consecrate," 
as  given  in  R.V.  margin. 

through  thy  truth.  Or,  "in  Thy  truth." 
Again  something  more   than  an  intellectual  con- 


214  Westminster  New  Testament 

viction  is  intended  ;  and  "^  in "  for  "  through " 
better  brings  this  out.  This  life  which  is  the 
dominant  element  in  Jesus'  thought,  is  the  eternal 
and  true  line  of  life  ordained  by  God  for  man. 
(See  on  1.  14  and  14.  7.)  The  supplication  there- 
fore means_,  "  Consecrate  them  to  the  life  Thou 
hast  ordained  and  appointed  for  them." 

thy  word  is  truth.  As  revealing  where  that 
eternally  appointed  line  of  life  is  to  be  found. 

18.  The  greatness  of  the  commission  given  to 
the  disciples  here  comes  out.  In  conjunction  with 
the  foregoing  verse  and  the  following  one,  this 
verse  offers  the  conception  that  they  are  to  be 
"sanctified"  or  "consecrated"  in  the  true  life, 
the  divine  life,  for  its  revelation  to  the  world,  just 
as  Jesus  Himself  was.  They  are  to  reproduce  the 
spiritual  condition  of  being  possessed,  mastered  by, 
lost  in,  the  life  of  God. 

have  I  also  sent  them.  Perhaps  referring  to 
their  commissioning  as  apostles  (see  Matthew  10.  4, 
and  the  other  Synoptics),  but  more  generally  to  the 
work  which  was  about  to  devolve  upon  them  after 
their  Master's  death. 

19.  And  for  their  sakes,  etc.  Through  all 
His  earthly  term,  Jesus  has  maintained  His  own 
perfect  consecration  to  the  mastery  of  the  divine 
life  with  a  definite  purpose  that  these  disciples 
should  be  similarly  consecrated  too.  HeJias,  in  other 
words,  lived  with  the  idea  of  founding  a  Church 
which  should  represent  Him  when  He  was  gone. 

(C)  20-24.     Jesus'  Prayer  for  the  Church. 

20  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which 

21  shall  believe  on  me  through  their  word;  That  they 
all  may  be  one  ;  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I 


St.  John  215 

in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us  :  that  the 

22  world  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me.  And 
the  glory  which  thou  gavest  me  I  have  given  them  ; 

23  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are  one  :  I  in 
them,  and  thou  in  me,  that  they  may  be  made  perfect 
in  one  ;  and  that  the  world  may  know  that  thou 
hast  sent  me,  and    hast  loved  them,  as  thou  hast 

24  loved  me.  Father,  I  will  that  they  also,  whom  thou 
hast  given  me,  be  with  me  where  I  am ;  that  they 
may  behold  my  glory,  which  thou  hast  given  me  : 
for  thou  lovedst  me  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world. 

20.  Jesus  here  has  a  vast  forward  look,  seeing 
the  growing  numbers  of  disciples  to  the  end  of 
time. 

21.  that  they  all  may  be  one.  Again,  some- 
thing more  than  unity  of  feeling,  something  more 
than  love,  is  pointed  to  (see  on  v.  11).  It  is  a 
unity  of  the  actual  inward  substance  that  makes 
them.  This  is  brought  out  more  strongly,  if 
possible,  in  this  verse  than  in  v.  11.  "  As  thou. 
Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also 
may  be  one  in  us."  Clearly,  no  mere  harmony 
of  thought,  no  mere  sympathy  in  feeling,  corre- 
sponds to  this.  As  there  is  an  actual  communion 
of  life  between  the  Father  and  the  Son,  so  is  there 
to  be  an  actual  communion  of  life  between  the 
members  of  the  Church  and  both  these. 

that  the  world  may  believe,  etc.  This 
possession  of  a  real  divine  life  will  be  the  supreme 
proof  of  the  reality  of  Christ's  mission — far  more 
truly  than  any  logical  demonstration  can  ever  be. 

22.  23.  And  the  glory,  which  thou  gavest 
me,  etc.  The  Church  is  to  take  it  as  her  supreme 
honour  thus  to  be  "  one,"  to  share  in  a  life  common 


2i6  Westminster  New  Testament 

to  all  her  members.  Jesus  puts  this  honour  upon 
His  Church,  giving  to  her  the  "  glory  "  which  He 
Himself  possessed  in  His  relation  to  God.  To 
share  in  the  divine  life  through  Christ  was  there- 
fore no  special  privilege  of  the  first  disciples.  It 
should  be  the  Church's  distinguishing  mark  through 
all  the  ages.  Christianity  is  never  to  become  a 
mere  speculative  view  of  the  world  and  of  God's 
relations  to  the  world.  It  is  to  be  always  an  actual 
drawing  of  life  from  the  Son,  as  the  Son  draws  it 
from  the  Father. 
and  that  the  world  may  know,  etc.    See  on 

v.  21. 

24.  Here  Jesus  has  a  glimpse  into  eternity,  and 
sees  His  Church  at  last  gathered  home,  resting 
with  Him  in  the  Father's  unveiled  presence. 

I  will.  Jesus  can  thus  declare  His  will,  know- 
ing that  His  will  is  one  with  God's. 

that  they  may  behold  my  glory,  etc.  At  that 
time  of  perfected  redemption  the  redeemed  will 
with  their  own  eyes  see — and  seeing,  better  under- 
stand— the  glory  of  oneness  with  God  which  Jesus 
has  always  possessed,  even  before  "  the  foundation 
of  the  world." 

(D)  25,  26.     The  Final  Confidence. 

25  O  righteous  Father,  the  world  hath  not  known 
thee :    but    I    have    known    thee,    and    these    have 

26  known  that  thou  hast  sent  me.  And  I  have  declared 
unto  them  thy  name,  and  will  declare  it  :  that  the 
love  wherewith  thou  hast  loved  me  may  be  in  them, 
and  I  in  them. 

25.  Looking  back  upon  His  whole  ministry, 
Jesus  speaks  with  a  sense  of  satisfaction.     ''  The 


St.  John  217 

world  "  has  not  recognised  God  in  Him — but  that 
was  to  be  expected.  And  "  these  "  have  made  the 
recognition.  The  great  work — to  be  continued 
through  all  the  ages — has  been  at  least  begun. 

26.  and  will  declare  it.  Through  the  subse- 
quent revelation  of  the  Spirit.     Compare  I6.  11. 

that  the  love  wherewith  thou  hast  loved  me, 
etc.  At  last  the  tone  breaks  into  infinite  tender- 
ness, and  the  great  word  "  love/'  as  descriptive  of 
this  intercommunion  of  life  among  Father,  Son, 
and  disciple,  comes  out  once  more. 

and  I  in  them.  The  sum  and  substance  of  it 
all.  "I  in  them"  is  the  immediate  method 
whereby  all  these  great  prayers  shall  be  fulfilled. 
And  the  Christian's  reply  is  in  the  Pauline  phrase, 
"To  me  to  live  is  Christ." 

Jesus,  in  this  last  word  to  His  Father,  sees  how 
His  prayer  will  be  answered  (spite,  alas !  of  many 
a  failure  and  backsliding  on  His  disciples'  part)  as 
the  years  go  on.  He  will  still  declare  "Thy 
name."  The  "  love  "  which  has  subsisted  l)e- 
tween  Father  and  Son  will  establish  itself  in  the 
disciples'  hearts.  And  so  at  the  end,  Jesus,  as  it 
were,  whispers  to  the  Father  that  all  is  well. 


John  18.  1-14. 

THE  BETRAYAL  AND  THE  ARREST. 

When  Jesus  had  spoken  these  words,  he  went  forth 
with  his  disciples  over  the  brook  Cedron,  where  was 
a  garden,  into  the  which  he  entered,  and  his  disciples. 

2  And    Judas    also,    which    betrayed    him,    knew    the 
place  :  for  Jesus  oft-times  resorted  thither  with  his 

3  disciples.     Judas  then,   having  received  a  band   of 


2i8  Westminster  New  Testament 

men  and  officers  from  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees, 
Cometh  thither  with  lanterns  and  torches  and  weapons. 

4  Jesus  therefore,  knowing  all  things  that  should 
come  upon  him,  went  forth,   and  said  unto  them, 

5  Whom  seek  ye  ?  They  answered  him,  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  I  am  he.  And 
Judas  also,  which    betrayed  him,  stood  with  them. 

6  As  soon  then  as  he  had  said  unto  them,  I  am  he, 

7  they  went  backward,  and  fell  to  the  ground.  Then 
asked  he  them    again.  Whom  seek  ye  ?     And  they 

8  said,  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Jesus  answered,  I  have 
told  you  that  I  am  he  :    if  therefore  ye  seek  me, 

9  let  these  go  their  way  :  That  the  saying  might  be 
fulfilled,  which  he  spake,  Of  them  which  thoit  gavesi 

10  me  have  I  lost  none.  Then  Simon  Peter  having  a 
sword  drew  it,  and  smote  the  high  priest's  servant, 
and  cut  off  his  right  ear.     The  servant's  name  was 

11  Malchus.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  Peter,  Put  up  thy 
sword  into  the  sheath  :   the  cup  which  my  Father 

12  hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it  ?  Then  the  band 
and  the  captain  and  officers  of  the  Jews  took  Jesus, 

13  and  bound  him,  And  led  him  away  to  Annas  first  ; 
for  he  was  father  in  law  to  Caiaphas,   which  was 

14  the  high  priest  that  same  year.  Now  Caiaphas  was 
he,  which  gave  counsel  to  the  Jews,  that  it  was  ex- 
pedient that  one  man  should  die  for  the  people. 

The  immediate  purpose  of  John^  through  these 
final  sections,  is  to  contribute  to  the  fulfilment  of 
his  larger  purpose  by  showing  how  entirely  con- 
sistent with  the  conception  of  Him  as  the  Son  of 
God  is  Jesus'  bearing  in  the  last  scenes.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  the  effect  of  the  whole  history 
is  cumulative.  Following  upon  all  that  has  gone 
before,  the  story  of  Jesus  at  His  trial  and  in  His 
dying  confirms  the  impression  that  He  stood  apart 


St.  John  219 


from  the  ordinary  race  of  men.  His  bearing  is 
such  as  one  miglit  expect  if  all  these  foregoing 
things  which  have  been  recorded  of  Him  are  true. 
The  spiritual  grandeur  He  manifests  is  a  thing 
entirely  unique.  One  does  not  feel  towards  this 
Jesus  as  one  would  feel  towards  even  a  great  man 
similarly  placed.  One  cannot^  for  instance,  pity 
Him.  The  emotion  of  pity  would  be  out  of  place. 
One  worships  and  adores.  The  story  of  His  death 
harmonises  with  and  deepens  the  impression  which 
the  story  of  His  life  has  made. 

John  has  in  this  chapter,  also,  the  subsidiary 
purpose  of  showing  how  the  predictions  of  Jesus 
regarding  His  betrayal  by  Judas  and  His  denial 
by  Peter  have  been  fulfilled. 

1.  Probably  Jesus  and  His  disciples  were  now 
leaving  the  upper  room.     See  on  14.   31. 

the  brook  Cedron.  Literally,  "  the  black 
stream."  The  bed  is  now  dry,  except  in  the 
winter  rains.  There  is,  however,  an  underground 
channel  with  water,  as  Dr.  Barclay  ascertained. 

a  garden.  The  other  Evangelists  call  it  merely 
a  place.  Westcott  conjectures,  from  the  fact  that 
Jesus  was  often  here  (v.  2),  that  the  owner  may 
have  been  a  disciple.  John  does  not  record  the 
agony  in  Gethsemane. 

2.  This  shows  that  Jesus  made  no  attempt  to 
conceal  Himself  from  the  traitor  and  his  allies. 

3.  a  band  of  men.  The  margin  of  R.V.  has 
"  cohort,"  but  this  would  be  six  hundred  men, 
surely  too  large  a  number  for  the  purpose  in  hand, 
even  if  disturbance  and  attempt  at  rescue  were 
feared.  Perhaps  a  band  of  the  men  stationed  in 
Antonia,  the  Roman  castle  overlooking  the  Temple, 
is  pointed  to. 


220  Westminster  New  Testament 
officers     from     the     chief    priests     and 

Pharisees.  Members  of  the  Temple  body  of 
guards — Jewish  officers,  under  the  direct  orders  of 
the  Sanhedrin. 

4,  5.  Jesus  goes  forth  to  hasten  the  moment. 
The  last  struggle  is  over :  the  angel  has  appeared 
to  Him,  strengthening  Him ;  and  with  entire 
voluntariness  He  makes  the  surrender  of  His 
liberty  and  life. 

6.  Doubtless  the  majesty  of  Jesus  overawed  them. 

7-9.  Again  Jesus  presses  on  the  decisive 
moment.  He  is  anxious  now,  besides,  that,  since 
He  is  the  object  of  arrest,  the  disciples  shall  not 
be  molested  (v.  8).  But  of  course  the  words 
quoted  by  the  Evangelist  (v.  9)  had  a  deeper  and 
more  spiritual  meaning  than  this.  See  17.  12. 
The  present  escape  of  the  disciples  was  only 
needed  in  order  that  as  apostles  they  should  not 
be  ^^ost." 

10.  Peter's  impulsive  courage  found  its  oppor- 
tunity. Of  course  this  act  might  have  led  to  his 
own  arrest  or  even  to  his  death,  so  that  Peter  was 
for  the  moment  brave,  as  he  had  declared  he  would 
be  (13.  37).    It  was  steadfastness  that  Peter  lacked. 

11.  the  cup  which  my  Father  hath  given 
me,  etc.  The  words  are  an  echo  from  those 
spoken  by  Jesus  in  Gethsemane,  as  the  other 
Gospels  record. 

12.  13.  to  Annas  first.  This  was  a  preliminary 
to  the  regular  examination  before  the  Sanhedrin. 
It  was  informal ;  but  it  was  natural,  inasmuch  as 
Annas  was  a  man  of  importance  and  influence. 
He  had  been  high  priest  from  a.d.  7  to  a.d.  14,  and 
was  of  great  age. 

14.  See  11.  49-52. 


St.  John  221 


John  i8.  15-27. 
THE  DENIALS  BY  PETER. 

15  And  Simon  Peter  followed  Jesus,  and  so  did  another 
disciple :  that  disciple  was  known  unto  the  high 
priest,   and  went  in  with  Jesus  into  the  palace  of 

16  the  high  priest.  But  Peter  stood  at  the  door  with- 
out. Then  went  out  that  other  disciple,  which 
was  known  unto   the  high  priest,   and  spake  unto 

17  her  that  kept  the  door,  and  brought  in  Peter.  Then 
saith  the  damsel  that  kept  the  door  unto  Peter, 
Art  not  thou  also  one  of  this  man's  disciples  ?     He 

18  saith,  I  am  not.  And  the  servants  and  officers 
stood  there,  who  had  made  a  fire  of  coals  ;  for  it 
was  cold  :  and  they  warmed  themselves  :  and  Peter 

19  stood  with  them,  and  warmed  himself.  The  high 
priest  then  asked  Jesus   of  his  disciples,  and  of  his 

20  doctrine.  Jesus  answered  him,  I  spake  openly 
to  the  world  ;  I  ever  taught  in  the  synagogue,  and 
in  the  temple,  whither  the  Jews  always  resort  ;  and 

21  in  secret  have  I  said  nothing.  Why  askest  thou 
me  ?  ask  them  which  heard  me,  what  I  have  said 

22  unto  them  :  behold,  they  know  what  I  said.  And 
when  he  had  thus  spoken,  one  of  the  officers  which 
stood  by  struck  Jesus  with  the  palm   of  his  hand, 

23  saying,  Answerest  thou  the  high  priest  so  ?  Jesus 
answered  him,  If  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness 
of   the   evil  :   but    if    well,   why  smitest   thou   me  ? 

24  Now  Annas  had  sent  him  bound  unto  Caiaphas  the 

25  high  priest.  And  Simon  Peter  stood  and  warmed 
himself.  They  said  therefore  unto  him.  Art  not  thou 
also  one  of  his  disciples  ?     He  denied  it,  and  said,  I 

26  am  not.  One  of  the  servants  of  the  high  priest,  being 
his  kinsman  whose  ear  Peter  cut  off,  saith.  Did  not 

27  I  see  thee  in  the  garden  with  him  ?  Peter  then 
denied  again  :  and  immediately  the  cock  crew. 


222  Westminster  New  Testament 

In  this  section  John  pursues  the  secondary  pur- 
pose alhided  to  above,  and  records  the  fulfihiient 
of  Jesus'  prediction  that  Peter  should  deny  Him. 
The  narrative  makes  a  subtle  contrast  with  the 
just-recorded  impulsive  attack  on  Malchus,  and 
thus  reveals  the  precise  nature  of  Peter's  courage. 
It  was  the  courage  of  a  heated  moment,  but  did 
not  endure. 

There  has  been  some  controversy  as  to  whether 
the  examination  before  the  "high  priest,"  during 
which  Peter's  denial  was  made,  was  the  preliminary 
examination  before  Annas  pointed  to  in  v.  13,  or 
whether  Jesus  had  passed  on  to  Caiaphas.  It  seems 
most  probable  that  the  latter  view  should  be  taken. 
For  one  thing,  Caiaphas,  not  Annas,  was  entitled 
to  the  name  of  "high  priest,"  so  that  v.  19  would 
indicate  that  Caiaphas  was  the  questioner.  More- 
over, in  V.  28  Jesus  is  led  from  Caiaphas  to  Pilate, 
so  that,  on  the  other  theory,  we  should  have  to 
suppose  that  v.  24  is  an  indication  of  a  transfer- 
ence from  Annas  to  Caiaphas  (see  on  that  verse). 
But  the  whole  narrative  seems  to  show  that  from 
v.  13  to  V.  27  there  is  no  shifting  of  the  scene. 
Peter,  for  instance,  remains  all  the  while  before 
the  fire.  Probably,  therefore,  the  preliminary 
examination  by  Annas  is  merely  mentioned  as 
about  to  take  place  (v.  13),  and  John  then  passes 
to  the  trial  before  Caiaphas  and  the  S'anhedrin. 

15,  l6.  Peter's  mood  had  already  changed.  He 
only  followed  afar  off  (Matthew  26.  58),  and  to 
"see  the  end."  And  he  only  stood  at  the  door, 
while  "  another  disciple  " — John  himself — went  in. 
John  immediately  afterwards  took  Peter  into  his 
care,  and  brought  him  in  (v.  l6). 

17.  John's  action  in  going  in  had  shown  him  to 


St.  John 


be  a  disciple  of  the  accused,  and  now  Peter,  being 
in  John's  company,  is   supposed  to  be  a  follower 
too.     Hence  "  Art  not  thou  also  ?  " 
19-  See  introduction  to  section. 

asked  Jesus  of  his  doctrine.    With  the  view 

of  catching  Him  in  His  words,  and  finding  ground 
for  a  charge. 

20,  21.  According  to  rule,  witnesses  should  be 
heard  before  the  prisoner  was  asked  to  speak,  and 
witnesses  for  the  defence  first  of  all. 

24.  Now  Annas  had  sent,  etc.    If  this  could 

stand,  it  would  of  course  support  the  view  above 
maintained,  that  Annas  had  (close  upon  v.  13) 
sent  Jesus  on  to  Caiaphas,  and  that  all  that  has 
just  been  recorded  took  place  in  Caiaphas'  presence. 
But  the  R.V.  is  undoubtedly  right  in  translating 
"sent"  instead  of  "had  sent."  Nevertheless,  the 
whole  interview  is  probably  that  with  Caiaphas. 
Very  likely  John  has  bethought  himself  that  after 
mentioning  the  leading  to  Annas,  he  has  dropped 
the  actual  interview  between  Jesus  and  Annas, 
and  accordingly  inserts  this  verse  to  explain.  Even 
as  it  stands  in  R.V.  it  may  be  so  taken.  "  All  this 
is  set  down  because  Annas  sent  Jesus  to  the  high 
priest,  as  I  ought  to  have  mentioned  before." 

25,  26.  The  further  questioning  of  Peter  was  in 
all  probability  brought  about  through  the  recogni- 
tion of  him,  by  some  of  the  bystanders,  in  the 
light  of  the  fire.  Hence  "  therefore "  (v.  25). 
And,  curiosity  once  roused,  the  kinsman  of  Malchus 
thought  that  he  too  recognised  Peter  as  the 
assailant  in  the  garden. 

27.  John  does  not  show  things  at  their  worst, 
and  suppresses  the  cursing  and  swearing  which 
is  spoken  of  elsewhere.     John's  delicacy  is  note- 


224  Westminster  New  Testament 

worthy.  He  has  been  forced,  in  v.  16,  to  draw 
a  comparison  between  himself  and  Peter,  to  the 
latter' s  disadvantage ;  but  he  has  not  mentioned 
his  own  name. 


John  1 8.  28-40. 
JESUS  BEFORE  PILATE. 

28  Then  led  they  Jesus  from  Caiaphas  unto  the  hall  of 
judgment  :  and  it  was  early  ;  and  they  themselves 
went  not  into  the  judgment  hall,  lest  they  should  be 
defiled ;    but    that    they    might    eat    the    passover. 

29  Pilate  then  went  out  unto  them,   and  said.  What 

30  accusation  bring  ye  against  this  man  ?  They 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  If  he  were  not  a  male- 
factor, we  would  not    have   delivered  him  up  unto 

31  thee.  Then  said  Pilate  unto  them.  Take  ye  him, 
and  judge  him  according  to  your  law.  The  Jews 
therefore  said  unto  him,  It  is  not  lawful  for  us  to  put 

32  any  man  to  death  :  That  the  saying  of  Jesus  might 
be  fulfilled,  which  he   spake,  signifying  what  death 

^2  he  should  die.  Then  Pilate  entered  into  the  judg- 
ment  hall  again,   and  called   Jesus,   and  said   unto 

34  him.  Art  thou  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  Jesus  an- 
swered him,   Sayest   thou   this  thing  of  thyself,   or 

35  did  others  tell  it  thee  of  me  ?  Pilate  answered. 
Am  I  a  Jew  ?  Thine  own  nation  and  the  chief 
priests   have   delivered    thee   unto   me  :    what   hast 

36  thou  done  ?  Jesus  answered.  My  kingdom  is  not 
of  this  world  :  if  my  kingdom  were  of  this  world, 
then  would  my  servants  fight,  that  I  should  not  be 
delivered  to  the  Jews  :  but  now  is  my  kingdom  not 

37  from  hence.  Pilate  therefore  said  unto  him,  Art 
thou  a  king  then  ?  Jesus  answered.  Thou  sayest 
that  I   am  a  king.     To  this  end  was  I  born,  and 


St.  John  225 

for  this  cause  came  T  into  the  world,  that  I  should 
bear   witness   unto   the   truth.     Every   one    that   is 

38  of  the  truth  heareth  my  voice.  Pilate  saith  unto 
him,  What  is  truth  ?  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he 
went  out  again  unto  the  Jews,  and  saith  unto  them,  I 

39  find  in  him  no  fault  at  all.  But  ye  have  a  custom, 
that  I  should  release  unto  you  one  at  the  passover  : 
will  ye  therefore  that  I  release  unto  you  the  King  of 

40  the  Jews  ?  Then  cried  they  all  again,  saying.  Not 
this  man,  but  Barabbas.  Now  Barabbas  was  a 
robber. 

We  make  a  break  at  the  end  of  the  chapter,  con- 
cluding the  present  section  there,  because,  although 
Pilate's  final  decision  is  not  actually  taken  at  that 
point,  the  regular  and  judicial  dealing  of  Pilate 
with  the  matter — so  far  as  there  was  any  such — 
terminates  at  the  chapter's  close,  and  was  passing 
into  that  non-judicial  treatment  of  the  case  into 
which  Pilate's  indecision  led  him. 

Pilate  was  Procurator  of  Judaea  from  a.d.  26  to 
A.D.  36.  Judaea  had  been  placed  under  the  im- 
mediate government  of  Rome  after  the  banishment 
of  Archelaus,  and  Pilate  was  directly  responsible 
to  the  Emperor.  He  was  ultimately  called  to 
Rome  to  answer  for  bad  government,  and  his  sub- 
sequent history  is  unknown. 

28.  early.     From  three  to  six  in  the  morning. 

lest  they  should  be  defiled.    By  entering  a 

house  from  which  all  leaven  had  not  been  removed. 
See  Ex.  12.  15. 

29.  Pilate  then  went  out.  Meeting  their 
prejudices,  as  Rome  was  ready  to  do  in  religious 
matters  involving  no  political  consequences,  and 
going  to  them,  since  they  could  not  come  to  him, 
in  the  hall. 

15 


226  Westminster  New  Testament 

30.  The  Jews  were  not  prepared  with  an  answer 
to  Pilate's  inquiry.  They  had  expected  that  he 
would  act  on  the  decision  of  the  Sanhedrin  without 
further  examination^  as  was  frequently  done.  But, 
the  question  once  asked,  the  reply  given  was  dis- 
courteous, besides  showing  up  the  weakness  of  their 
case. 

31,  32.  To  hand  Jesus  back  to  the  Jews  was 
virtually  to  save  Him  from  death — unless,  of 
course,  the  Jews  violated  the  law — for  the 
power  of  inflicting  death  had  been  taken  away 
from  the  Jewish  authorities.  The  JeM^s  remind 
Pilate  of  this,  though  he  doubtless  knew  it  well 
enough. 

33.  Art  thou  the  King  of  the  Jews?  "Thou" 
is  emphatic — emphatic  with  contempt.  Pilate  must 
have  gathered  from  the  language  of  the  Jews  out- 
side that  this  phrase  in  some  way  pointed  to  the 
charge  against  Jesus. 

34,  35.  Jesus  asks  in  what  sense  Pilate  intends 
the  question,  for,  if  he  puts  it  as  Procurator,  and 
kingship  carries  only  a  political  sense  to  his  ears, 
the  answer  will  be  "no."  But  if  he  asks  it  in 
the  sense  in  which  the  Jews  know  it  ought  to  be 
understood,  the  answer  will  be  '^  yes."  Speaking 
again,  Pilate  flings  away  with  contempt  the  idea 
that  he  could  have  anything  more  than  an  official 
care  for  the  whole  thing.  And  he  cannot  under- 
stand why,  if  this  man  has  claimed  to  be  King  of 
the  Jews,  his  own  nation  should  have  delivered 
him  up.  Such  a  claim  should  surely  have  found 
favour  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  wanted  to  throw 
off  the  yoke  of  Rome  ! 

86.  Jesus  expounds  the  idea  of  a  spiritual  king- 
ship such  as  He  came  to  establish.     At  any  rate, 


St.  John  227 

there  is  no  question  of  a  revolt  against  Rome.    The 
kingdom  is  not  of  this  world. 

37.  "  Thou  a  king  ? — thou  ? "  Mild  scorn,  per- 
haps mixed  with  something  of  compassion^  is  ex- 
pressed. But  Jesus,  not  desiring  compassion,  and 
unheeding  of  scorn,  reiterates  plainly  His  claim  to 
kingship — to  the  kingship  of  the  truth  (see  1.  14 
and  14.  6). 

38.  What  is  truth?  Not  spoken  in  jest,  as  is 
sometimes  supposed,  but  with  a  sort  of  despairing 
conviction  that  truth  is  beyond  the  reach  of  men. 
And  so  deep  is  this  conviction  in  Pilate,  that  Jesus' 
claim  to  be  King  of  truth  only  makes  him  feel  how 
absurd  the  whole  affair  is.  This  must  be  only  a 
harmless  dreamer  or  enthusiast.  So  Pilate  goes 
out  to  the  people  and  declares  that  he  can  find  no 
fault  in  Jesus. 

s^.  But  ye  have  a  custom,  etc.  Nothing 
is  known  of  the  custom  other  than  what  can 
be  gathered  from  Scripture  allusions.  Of  course 
Pilate's  willingness  to  make  Jesus  the  released 
prisoner  for  this  occasion  shows  that,  although 
convinced  of  His  innocence,  he  w^ill  treat  Him 
as  guilty.  Otherwise,  he  would  have  sent  Him 
acquitted  from  the  judgment-hall. 

40.  Barabbas  was  a  robber.  Luke  adds,  a 
murderer  and  an  inciter  to  sedition  (Luke  23.  19). 
But  though  the  people  were  accusing  Jesus  of 
treason  to  Rome,  they  were  willing  to  have  Barab- 
bas released,  inconsistently  ignoring  the  fact  that 
treason  was  among  his  crimes. 


228  Westminster  New  Testament 


John  xix. 


THE  CRUCIFIXION  AND  DEATH  OF  JESUS.         \ 

The  entire  restraint  of  the  Evangelist  while  he 
tells  the   story  of  Jesus'  death  is  specially  to  be        ' 
noticed.     Although  writing  with  the  specific  pur- 
pose of  convincing  his  readers  that  Jesus  was  the 
Son   of   God^   he   writes    in    utter   simplicity,  not        | 
attempting  to  heighten  the  impression  of  the  tale,        i 
or  to  quicken  any  emotions  of  horror  and  indigna-        \ 
tion,  by  the  use  of  highly  coloured  phrases.     The       j 
story  is  of  course  all  the  more  impressive  for  this       i 
quietude.    The  bearing  of  the  central  Figure  stands       : 
out  all  the  more  clearly  by  reason  of  the  simplicity       i 

of  John's  speech. 

i 

(A)  I-I6.  Before  the  Crucifixion.  j 

Then  Pilate  therefore  took  Jesus,  and  scourged  him.        I 

2  And  the  soldiers  platted  a  crown  of  thorns,  and  put        | 
it  on  his  head,  and  they  put  on  him  a  purple  robe,        ' 

3  and  said.  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews  !    and  they  smote 

4  him  with  their  hands.     Pilate  therefore  went  forth 
again,   and  saith  unto   them.   Behold,   I   bring  him        I 
forth  to  you,  that  ye  may  know  that  T  find  no  fault        - 

5  in  him.     Then  came  Jesus  forth,  wearing  the  crown 

of  thorns,   and  the  purple  robe.     And  Pilate  saith        '' 

6  unto    them,    Behold    the    man  !     When    the    chief 
priests   therefore   and   officers   saw  him,   they  cried        ■ 
out,  sa^dng.  Crucify  him,  crucify  him.     Pilate  saith 
unto  them.   Take  ye  him,   and  crucify  him  :   for  I 

7  find  no  fault  in  him.     The  Jews  answered  him.  We       j 
have  a  law,  and  by  our  law  he  ought  to  die,  because 

8  he    made    himself    the    Son    of    God.     When    Pilate 
therefore  heard  that  saying,  he  was  the  more  afraid  ; 

9  And  went  again  into  the  judgment  hall,  and  saith       j 


St.  John  229 

unto    Jesus,    Whence    art    thou  ?     But    Jesus    gave 

10  him  no  answer.  Then  saith  Pilate  unto  him, 
Speakest  thou  not  unto  me  ?  knowest  thou  not  that 
I  have  power  to  crucify  thee,   and  have  power  to 

11  release  thee  ?  Jesus  answered,  Thou  couldest  have 
no  power  at  all  against  me,  except  it  were  given 
thee  from  above  :     therefore  he   that   delivered   me 

12  unto  thee  hath  the  greater  sin.  And  from  thence- 
forth Pilate  sought  to  release  him  :  but  the  Jews 
cried  out,  saying.  If  thou  let  this  man  go,  thou  art 
not    Caesar's    friend  :    whosoever    maketh    himself    a 

13  king  speaketh  against  Caesar.  When  Pilate  there- 
fore heard  that  saying,  he  brought  Jesus  forth,  and 
sat  down  in  the  judgment  seat  in  a  place  that  is 
called  the  Pavement,  but  in  the  Hebrew,  Gabbatha. 

14  And  it  was  the  preparation  of  the  passover,  and 
about  the  sixth  hour  :  and  he  saith  unto  the  Jews, 

15  Behold  your  King  !  But  they  cried  out,  Away 
with  him,  away  with  him,  crucify  him.  Pilate 
saith  unto  them,  Shall  I  crucify  your  King  ?  The 
chief  priests  answered.  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar. 

16  Then  delivered  he  him  therefore  unto  them  to  be 
crucified.     And  they  took  Jesus,  and  led  him  away. 

Through  this  section  John  is  specially  engaged 
in  showing  the  struggle  in  Pilate's  mind — the 
conflict  beween  his  conviction  of  Jesus'  innocence 
and  his  fear  of  the  consequences  to  himself  if  he 
acts  as  conscience  dictates. 

1.  scourged  him.  Scourging  was  usually  the 
preliminary  to  crucifixion,  but  Pilate  evidently 
hoped  that  the  spectacle  of  suffering  would  touch 
the  hearts  of  the  Jews  and  induce  them  to  relent. 

2,  3.  How  far  Pilate  was  from  grasping  the  situa- 
tion with  a  firm  hand  may  be  seen  from  the  fact 
that  he  allowed  this  mockery  by  the  soldiers  to  go 


230  Westminster  New  Testament 

on  even  while  he  was  endeavouring  to  find  a  way 
of  setting  Jesus  free.  The  tenses  in  the  original 
indicate  that  the  soldiers  kept  on  with — frequently 
repeated — their  mock  homage  and  their  blows. 

4,  5,  Pilate  shows  Jesus  to  the  crowd,  hoping 
that  His  manifest  exhaustion  after  what  He  has 
already  gone  through  may  stir  their  pity. 

6.  The  sight,  however,  only  rouses  them  to  fresh 
fury.  It  is  not  the  crowd,  be  it  noted,  but  the 
chief  priests  and  officers,  that  take  the  lead. 

Take  ye  him,  and  crucify  him.  An  out- 
burst of  petulant  temper  on  Pilate's  part.  He 
knew  that  the  Jews  could  not  lawfully  do  what  he 
suggested. 

7.  We  have  a  law,  etc.  See  Lev.  24.  16. 
This  charge  was  new  to  Pilate,  not  having  been 
brought  forward  before  by  the  accusers.  But  it  was, 
of  course,  the  real  ground  of  the  hatred  felt  towards 
Jesus ;  and  it  was  true  that  Jesus  had  made  this 
claim. 

8.  9.  Pilate's  increased  fear  came  in  part  from 
the  feeling  that,  if  this  charge  were  substantiated, 
Jesus  could  not  escape,  and  in  part  from  the 
deepened  consciousness  of  awe  which  he  doubtless 
felt  in  Jesus'  presence,  and  which  this  new  con- 
ception might  explain.  He  makes  a  fresh  attempt, 
accordingly,  to  get  some  definite  avowal  from 
Jesus — something  that  may  give  him,  as  judge,  an 
indication  of  the  line  on  which  to  act.  Not  that 
he  was  ignorant  of  the  right,  but  that  he  hoped 
for  something  which  would  justify  him  in  the  eyes 
of  men. 

10.  Pilate's  pride  is  hurt  by  the  prisoner's 
silence. 

11.  Jesus  affirms  that  Pilate  is  but  the  uncon- 


St.  John  231 

scious  agent  in  carrying  out  the  eternal  design. 
Even  Pilate's  cowardice  is  made  to  work  out  the 
will  of  God.  And  the  "greater  sin"  lies  on  him 
— Caiaphas  probably  is  meant — who  put  Jesus 
into  Pilate's  hands.  For  he  sinned  against  fuller 
light. 

12.  The  Jew^s,  seeing  that  Pilate  is  impressed, 
and  finding  that  the  new  charge  they  have  brought 
forward  has  not  been  enough  to  secure  a  verdict, 
return  to  the  first  charge,  the  political  one.  And 
it  is  put  now  in  a  form  which  brings  Pilate  into 
new  fear.  The  Emperor  w^as  known  to  be  specially 
ready  to  listen  to  accusations  of  lukewarmness 
against  his  servants. 

13.  the  Pavement.  Josephus  says  that  a  part 
of  the  Temple  mount  was  laid  with  mosaic.  It*  was 
probably  here  that  Pilate  sat. 

14.  15.  the  preparation.  That  is,  Friday— a 
Friday  of  special  character  in  this  instance,  since 
the  ensuing  sabbath  was  the  sabbath  of  the 
Passover. 

the  sixth  hour.  That  is,  twelve  o'clock.  But 
in  Mark  15.  25  we  are  told  that  Jesus  was  crucified 
at  the  third  hour — that  is,  nine.  Dr.  Sanday  thinks 
that  there  has  been  an  error  in  transcribing,  and 
supports  Mark's  version.  It  is  possible,  however, 
that  John  simply  means  that  it  was  getting  on 
toward  the  sixth  hour — which,  after  the  vague 
Oriental  fashion,  might  be  said  any  time  after  nine, 
since  twelve  was  the  next  well-marked  stage.  So 
Professor  Ramsay. 

Behold  your  King  !  Pilate  revenges  himself 
on  the  Jews  who  are  forcing  his  hand.  He  finds 
something  of  satisfaction  in  sarcasm  like  this. 

We  have  no  king  but  Caesar.    An  entire 


232  Westminster  New  Testament 

repudiation  of  the  national^  and  of  the  Messianic, 
ideal.     So  far  had  passion  carried  them. 

(B)  17-37.  The  Crucifixion. 

ly  And  he  bearing  his  cross  went  forth  into  a  place 
called   the  place  of  a  skull,  which  is  called  in  the 

1 8  Hebrew  Golgotha  :  Where  they  crucified  him,  and 
two  other  with  him,  on  either  side  one,  and  Jesus 

19  in  the  midst.  And  Pilate  wrote  a  title,  and  put  it  on 
the  cross.     And  the  writing  was,  jesus  of  nazareth 

20  THE  KING  OF  THE  JEWS.  This  title  then  read  many  of 
the  Jews  :  for  the  place  where  Jesus  was  crucified 
was  nigh  to  the  city  :  and  it  was  written  in  Hebrew, 

21  and  Greek,  and  Latin.  Then  said  the  chief  priests 
of  the  Jews  to  Pilate,  Write  not.  The  King  of  the 
Jews  ;   but   that  he  said,  T   am   King  of  the  Jews. 

22  Pilate  answered,  What  I  have  written  I  have  written. 

23  Then  the  soldiers,  when  they  had  crucified  Jesus, 
took  his  garments,  and  made  four  parts,  to  every 
soldier  a  part  ;  and  also  his  coat  :  now  the  coat  was 
without    seam,    woven    from    the    top    throughout. 

24  They  said  therefore  among  themselves.  Let  us  not 
rend  it,  but  cast  lots  for  it,  whose  it  shall  be  : 
that  the  scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  which  saith. 
They  parted  my  raiment  among  them,  and  for  my 
vesture    they    did    cast    lots.       These     things    there- 

25  fore  the  soldiers  did.  Now  there  stood  by  the  cross 
of  Jesus  his  mother,  and  his  mother's  sister,  Mary 

26  the  wife  of  Cleophas,  and  Mary  Magdalene.  When 
Jesus  therefore  saw  his  mother,  and  the  disciple 
standing    by,    whom    he    loved,    he    saith    unto    his 

27  mother,  Woman,  behold  thy  son  !  Then  saith  he 
to  the  disciple.  Behold  thy  mother  !  And  from  that 
hour    that    disciple    took   her   unto   his   own   home. 

28  After  this,  Jesus  knowing  that  all  things  were  now 
accomplished,  that  the  scripture  might  be  fulfilled. 


St.  John  233 

29  saith,  I  thirst.  Now  there  was  set  a  vessel  full  of 
vinegar :  and  they  filled  a  spunge  with  vinegar, 
and  put  it  upon  hyssop,  and  put  it  to  his  mouth. 

30  When  Jesus  therefore  had  received  the  vinegar,  he 
said,  It  is  finished  :  and  he  bowed  his  head,  and  gave 

31  up  the  ghost.  The  Jews  therefore,  because  it  was 
the  preparation,  that  the  bodies  should  not  remain 
upon  the  cross  on  the  sabbath  day,  (for  that  sabbath 
day  was  an  high  day,)  besought  Pilate  that  their 
legs  might  be  broken,  and  that  they  might  be  taken 

32  away.  Then  came  the  soldiers,  and  brake  the 
legs  of  the  first,  and  of  the  other  which  was  crucified 

5S  with  him.  But  when  they  came  to  Jesus,  and  saw 
that  he  was  dead  already,  they  brake  not  his  legs  : 

34  but  one  of  the  soldiers  with  a  spear  pierced  his  side, 
and    forthv/ith    came    there    out    blood    and   water. 

35  And  he  that  saw  it  bare  record,  and  his  record  is 
true  :  and  he  knoweth  that  he  saith  true,  that  ye  might 

36  believe.  For  these  things  were  done,  that  the  scripture 
should  be  fulfilled,  A  bone  of  him  shall  not  be  broken. 

Sy  And  again  another  scripture  saith,  They  shall  look 
on  him  whom  they  pierced. 

17.  bearing  his  cross.  It  was  the  custom  for 
the  condemned  criminal  to  carry  his  own  cross. 
The  Synoptists,  however^  record  that  the  strength 
of  Jesus  was  soon  exhausted,  and  that  Simon  of 
Cyrene  bore  the  cross  for  Him. 

went  forth.  The  place  of  execution  was  always 
outside  the  city  walls. 

Golgotha.  A  hill  of  skull-like  appearance 
stands  not  far  from  the  Damascus  gate,  and  this  is 
usually  identified  as  being  the  spot. 

19-22.  Pilate  continues  to  take  his  revenge  in 
satire  upon  the  Jews.  The  inscription,  being  in 
three  languages,  would  be  legible  by  all  comers. 


234  Westminster  New  Testament 

23.  also  his  coat.  That  is^  the  garment  worn  next 
to  the  skin.  Usually,  it  was  in  two  portions  clasped 
together,  but  the  coat  of  Jesus  was  in  one  piece, 
as  Josephus  tells  us  was  that  of  the  high  priest. 

24.  See  Ps.  22.  18. 

25.  It  is  somewhat  doubtful  whether  "  Mary  the 
wife  of  Cleophas  "  is  explanatory  of  the  foregoing 
"  his  mother's  sister,"  or  whether  it  signifies  a 
separate  person.  If  the  foregoing,  there  would  be 
three  women  spoken  of  in  the  verse  ;  if  the  latter, 
four.  The  objection  to  the  first  method  of  taking 
it  lies  in  the  unlikelihood  of  the  mother  of  Jesus 
having  a  sister  of  similar  name.  Probably,  there- 
fore, '^ his  mother's  sister"  and  "Mary  the  wife  of 
Cleophas  "  are  different  persons ;  and  in  this  case 
the  former  would  be  Salome,  the  mother  of  John 
himself  (see  Matt.  27.  56,  in  which  we  find  the 
names  of  the  women  standing  within  view  of  the 
cross).  The  "wife  of  Cleophas"  probably  corre- 
sponds with  the  Mary,  the  mother  of  James  and 
Joses,  mentioned  in  Matthew's  passage.  James 
the  son  of  Alphaeus  is  met  with  in  Matt.  10.  3, 
and  Cleophas  and  Alphaeus  are  most  likely  different 
renderings  of  the  same  name. 

26.  27.  John  was  henceforward  to  be  a  son  to  the 
bereaved  Mary,  and  she  a  mother  to  him. 

from  that  hour,  etc.  If  John  immediately  led 
Mary  away,  he  must  have  returned  to  the  Cross 
(see  V.  35). 

28.  that  the  scripture  might  be  fulfilled. 
See  Ps.  69.  21. 

29.  vinegar.  The  sour  wine  of  the  soldiers, 
made  from  grapes  that  have  been  already  pressed. 

hyssop.  Usually  taken  to  mean  a  stalk  of  the 
caper,    which    still    grows   near    Jerusalem.      The 


St.  John  235 

stalk  is  about  three  or  four  feet  long,  and  thus  the 
lips  of  Jesus  could  be  reached. 

30.  gave  up  the  ghost.  That  is,  completed 
the  voluntary  surrender  of  His  life. 

31.  The  leaving  of  bodies  exposed  through  the 
night  is  forbidden  in  Deut.  21.  23. 

that  their  legs  might  be  broken.  This  was 
a  usual  procedure  in  cases  of  crucifixion,  with  the 
view  of  hastening  the  end  when  it  was  deemed 
advisable  to  do  so. 

32-37.  The  Evangelist  sees  in  the  special  treat- 
ment which  Jesus  received  a  direct  fulfilment  of 
two  prophecies,  the  first  one  contained  in  Ex.  12.  46 
and  Ps.  34.  20,  and  the  second  in  Zech.  12.  10. 

blood  and  water.  This  would  be  accounted 
for  if,  as  Milligan  supposes,  the  spear-wound  was 
inflicted  at  the  instant  of  death.  There  have  been 
many  other  explanations.  The  subject  is  treated 
in  W.  Stroud's  book,  The  Physical  Causes  of  the 
Death  of  Christ,  and  has  been  still  more  success- 
fully dealt  with  by  Rev.  S.  Haughton,  M.D.  John 
himself  clearly  thinks  the  occurrence  extraordinary, 
if  not  supernatural,  as  is  shown  by  his  insistence  on 
the  fact  that  he  saw  (v.  od). 

(C)  38-42.  The  Burial  of  Jesus. 

38  And  after  this  Joseph  of  Arimathaea,  being 
a  disciple  of  Jesus,  but  secretly  for  fear  of 
the  Jews,  besought  Pilate  that  he  might  take 
away  the  body  of  Jesus  :  and  Pilate  gave  him 
leave.     He  came   therefore,   and   took   the  body  of 

39  Jesus.  And  there  came  also  Nicodemus,  which 
at  the  first  came  to  Jesus  by  night,  and  brought 
a  mixture  of  myrrh  and  aloes,   about  an  hundred 

40  pound  weight.     Then  took  they  the  body  of  Jesus, 


236  Westminster  New  Testament 

and  wound  it  in  linen  clothes  with  the  spices,   as 

41  the  manner  of  the  Jews  is  to  bury.  Now  in  the 
place  where  he  was  crucified  there  was  a  garden  ; 
and  in    the   garden  a  new    sepulchre,  wherein    was 

42  never  man  yet  laid.  There  laid  they  Jesus  there- 
fore because  of  the  Jews'  preparation  day  ;  for  the 
sepulchre  was  nigh  at  hand. 

38.  Joseph  of  Arimathaea.  For  other  refer- 
ences to  him  see  Matt.  27.  57,  Mark  15.  4<3,  and 
Luke  23.  51.  Arimathaea  is  sometimes  identified 
with  Ramathaim  Zophim,  near  Lydda,  but  this  is 
not  certain. 

Pilate  gave  him  leave.  Had  Pilate  thought 
Jesus  guilty^  he  would  not  have  allowed  an  honour- 
able burial. 

39.  The  hundred-pound  weight  brought  by 
Nicodemus  represents  a  valuable  offering.  The 
spices  would  cover  not  only  the  body,  but  also  the 
floor  of  the  tomb. 

40.  linen  clothes.  Properly  ^Minen  cloths/' 
as  in  R.V. — narrow  strips  or  bands.  Afterwards  a 
linen  covering  would  be  wrapped  round  the 
whole. 

42.  therefore.  Because  it  was  so  near.  No 
great  amount  of  time  would  be  consumed — and 
time  pressed,  since  the  hour  for  partaking  of  the 
Passover  feast  was  close  at  hand. 


John  20.  i-io. 

THE  EMPTY  TOMB. 

The  first  day  of  the  week  cometh  Mary  Magdalene 
early,  when  it  was  yet  dark,  unto  the  sepulchre,  and 
seeth    the    stone    taken    away  from    the    sepulchre 


St.  John  237 

2  Then  she  runneth,  and  cometh  to  Simon  Peter, 
and  to  the  other  disciple,  whom  Jesus  loved,  and 
saith  unto  them,  They  have  taken  away  the  Lord 
out  of  the  sepulchre,  and  we  know  not  where  they 

3  have  laid  him.  Peter  therefore  went  forth,  and 
that     other    disciple,    and    came    to    the    sepulchre. 

4  So  they  ran  both  together  :  and  the  other  disciple 
did   outrun   Peter,  and  came  first    to   the   sepulchre. 

5  And  he  stooping  down,  and  looking  in,  saw  the  hnen 

6  clothes  lying ;  yet  went  he  not  in.  Then  cometh 
Simon  Peter  following  him,  and  went  into  the  sepul- 

7  chre,  and  seeth  the  linen  clothes  he.  And  the  napkin, 
that  was  about  his  head,  not  lying  with  the  linen 
clothes,  but  wrapped  together  in  a  place  by  itself. 

8  Then  went  in  also  that  other  disciple,  which  came 
first    to    the   sepulchre,    and    he   saw,    and    beheved. 

9  For  as  yet  they  knew  not  the  scripture,  that  he  must 
10  rise  again   from  the  dead.     Then  the  disciples  went 

away  again  unto  their  own  home. 

As  in  the  story  of  the  Crucifixion,  so  in  the 
account  of  the  Resurrection — or  rather,  for  the 
actual  act  of  resurrection  itself  is  not  recorded  in 
any  of  the  Gospels,  of  what  happened  after  the 
Resurrection  —  we  find  an  entire  restraint,  an 
absolute  absence  of  any  straining  after  effect. 
Though  John  has  to  tell  of  the  greatest  wonder  of 
the  world,  he  writes  as  if  feeling  that  a  Resurrec- 
tion was,  as  it  were,  a  wholly  natural  thing  in  the 
case  of  Jesus,  a  thing  which  anyone,  remembering 
all  that  had  gone  before,  would  naturally  expect. 
The  Resurrection  occupies  a  very  important  place, 
of  course,  in  the  development  of  John's  main 
purpose.  If  Jesus  had,  as  He  claimed,  life  in 
Himself — if  no  man  took  His  life  from  Him,  but 
He    voluntarily  surrendered   it — if  the   foregoing 


238  Westminster  New  Testament 

history  is  to  have  its  fitting  close — it  was  not 
possible  that  Jesus  should  be  conquered  by  death. 
Yet  John  does  not,  speaking  strictly,  attempt  to 
prove  the  Resurrection.  He  simply  recounts  some 
events  in  connection  with  it,  leaving  them  to  work 
their  own  effect.  What  he  wishes  his  readers  to 
realise  is  that  the  whole  thing  fits  in.  The  simple 
narrative  of  these  things  forms  part  of  the  cumu- 
lative proof — as  distinct  from  a  logical  demonstra- 
tion— which  the  Evangelist  is  building  up,  and 
contributes  its  share  to  that  impression,  made  up 
of  many  causative  elements,  that  here  is  the  Son 
of  God. 

1.  Mary  Magdalene.  She  had  been  one  of 
those  near  the  Cross  (19-  25).  What  Jesus  had 
done  for  her,  and  how  He  had  drawn  her,  is  told 
in  Luke  8.  2. 

the  stone  taken  away.  John  has  not  men- 
tioned the  placing  of  the  stone.     See  Matt  27.  QQ. 

2.  to  Simon  Peter.  Evidently  Peter,  notwith- 
standing his  denial  of  Jesus,  was  still  looked  on  as 
the  chief  Apostle. 

S-5.  John,  reaching  the  sepulchre  first  (he  was 
the  younger  man),  did  not  enter.  It  was  still  dark 
(v.  1),  and  probably  he  did  not  see  the  angels,  if  at 
this  moment  they  were  there.  Perhaps  they  were 
not,  since  Peter,  on  going  in,  does  not  seem  to  have 
seen  them. 

6,  7.  seeth,  etc.  Saw,  without  understanding — 
a  different  word  from  that  translated  "  he  saw  "  in 
V.  8.  Peter's  impulsiveness  took  him  into  the 
tomb,  but  did  not  enable  him  to  grasp  the  sig- 
nificance of  its  emptiness. 

8.  he  saw.  Saw  to  the  heart  of  the  matter. 
See  on  previous  verse. 


St.  John  239 

believed.  John  leapt  out  to  grasp  the  fact  of 
the  Resurrection.  Peter,  on  the  other  hand,  was 
simply  mystified  (Luke  24.  12). 

9.  This  verse  explains  why  John's  act  of  faith 
had  been  delayed  till  now,  and  why  Peter's  was 
not  even  now  performed.  The  reference  is  to 
Psalm  16,  which  is  quoted  as  the  proof  passage  in 
Acts  2.  25-28. 

10.  There  is  no  sign  of  any  ecstasy  or  enthusiasm 
on  the  part  of  the  disciples — not  even  on  the  part 
of  John,  who  understood  the  most.  The  conditions 
needed  for  such  an  invention  of  a  Resurrection  as 
some  critics  tell  us  the  disciples  made  are  not 
present. 


John  20.  11-29. 
SOME  APPEARANCES  OF  JESUS. 

Although,  as  stated  just  now,  John  is  not 
attempting  a  formal  proof  of  the  Resurrection,  but 
only  recounting  some  of  its  incidents,  yet  he  is 
careful  to  insert  in  his  narrative  such  points  as  will 
serve  to  make  the  reality  and  greatness  of  the 
miracle  plain.  So  he  mentions  the  shut  door,  and 
the  mysterious  coming  of  Jesus  through  it,  not 
shrinking  from  the  marvellous  while  not  making 
over  much  of  it.  And  the  ring  of  an  eye-witness's 
voice  is  heard  all  through. 

(A)  11-18.  To  Mary  Magdalene. 

1 1  But  Mary  stood  without  at  the  sepulchre  weeping  : 
and  as  she  wept,  she  stooped  down,  and  looked  into 

12  the    sepulchre.    And     seeth     two    angels    in    white 
sitting,  the  one  at  the  head,  and  the  other  at  the  feet, 


240  Westminster  New  Testament 

13  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain.  And  they  say 
unto  her,  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ?  She  saith 
unto  them,  Because  they  have  taken  away  my 
Lord,   and  I  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him. 

14  And  when  she  had  thus  said,  she  turned  herself  back, 
and  saw   Jesus  standing,  and  knew  not  that  it  was 

15  Jesus.  Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Woman,  why  weepest 
thou  ?  whom  seekest  thou  ?  She,  supposing  liim  to 
be  the  gardener,  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  if  thou  have 
borne  him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid  him, 

16  and  I  will  take  him  away.  Jesus  saith  unto  her, 
Mary.     She    turned    herself,    and    saith    unto    him, 

17  Rabboni  ;  which  is  to  say,  Master.  Jesus  saith 
unto  her.  Touch  me  not ;  for  I  am  not  yet  ascended 
to  my  Father :  but  go  to  my  brethren,  and  say  unto 
them,  I  ascend  unto   my  Father,  and  your  Father ; 

18  and  to  my  God,  and  your  God.  Mary  Magdalene 
came  and  told  the  disciples  that  she  had  seen  the 
Lord,  and  that  he  had  spoken  these  things  unto  her. 

IL  Mary  had  left  the  sepulchre  to  tell  Peter 
that  she  had  found  it  empty  (v.  2),  but  had 
evidently  returned. 

12.  two  angels  in  white  sitting.  This  is  one 
of  the  points  of  difference  between  John  and  two 
of  the  Synoptics,  on  which  some  critics  strongly 
insist.  Matthew  and  Mark  speak  of  only  one 
angel,  although  Luke  mentions  two.  But  the 
obvious  reply  would  seem  to  be  that  spiritual 
presences  may  be  discerned  by  some  and  not  by 
others.  Moreover,  any  "reconciliation"  on  points 
like  this  is  quite  unnecessary. 

13.  Mary  is  so  possessed  by  her  fixed  idea  that 
the  body  of  Jesus  has  been  taken  away,  that  she  is 
apparently  not  surprised  at  the  angels  addressing 
her. 


St.  John  241 

14.  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus.    In  part, 

because  she  was  not  expecting  Him.  But  it  is 
clear  from  the  other  narratives  in  this  chapter  that 
the  body  of  Jesus  had  undergone  some  change  which 
we  cannot  describe,  and  in  this  perhaps  some  change 
of  outward  appearance  may  have  been  involved. 

15.  Mary  is  still  possessed  by  her  fixed  idea. 

16.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Mary.  Adopting 
the  familiar  form  of  address,  so  as  to  waken  re- 
collection. And  Mary  answers  in  a  way  which 
indicates  that  she  has  recognised  Jesus.  "  Rabboni 
means  "my  Master."  But  it  does  not  imply  a 
recognition  of  Jesus'  divineness.  That  had  not 
yet  come. 

17.  Touch  me  not,  etc.  Better,  "Do  not 
continue  to  cling."  The  meaning  is  that  the  time 
for  outward  companionship,  with  any  of  its  physical 
contacts,  is  gone  by ;  while  that  spiritual  "  cling- 
ing" which  is  to  take  its  place  is  not  even  yet 
fully  possible,  since  Jesus  is  not  yet  "  ascended  " 
to  the  Father.  On  the  conception  of  spiritual 
fellowship  as  depending  on  Jesus'  return  to  the 
Father,  see  the  discourse  in  the  upper  room  and 
the  intercessory  prayer  (chapters  13-17). 

my  brethren.  Jesus  has  called  His  disciples 
"friends"  (15.  15),  but  not  brethren  before.  He 
comes  the  closer  as  the  time  for  withdrawal  into 
heaven  approaches. 

(B)  19-25.  To  THE  Discn^LEs,  excepting 
Thomas. 

19  Then  the  same   day  at    evening,  being  the  first  day 

of  the  week,  when   the  doors  were  shut  where  the 

disciples  were  assembled  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  came 

Jesus  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  saith  unto  them, 

i6 


242  Westminster  New  Testament 

20  Peace  be  unto  you.  And  when  he  had  so  said,  he 
shewed  unto  them  his  hands  and  his  side.  Then 
were   the  disciples  glad,   when   they  saw  the  Lord. 

21  Then  said  Jesus  to  them  again,  Peace  be  unto  you : 
as  my  Father  hath  sent   me,   even  so  send   I  you. 

22  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  breathed  on  them, 
and  saith  unto  them.  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost  : 

23  Whose  soever  sins  ye  remit;  they  are  remitted  unto 
them  ;    and  whose  soever  sins  ye  retain,   they  are 

24  retained.  But  Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve,  called 
Didymus,    was    not   with   them   when   Jesus   came. 

25  The  other  disciples  therefore  said  unto  him.  We  have 
seen  the  Lord.  But  he  said  unto  them,  Except  I 
shall  see  in  his  hands  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  put 
my  finger  into  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  thrust  my 
hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe. 

19,  20.  when  the  doors  were  shut.  This  is 
one  of  the  tokens  of  something  supernatural  in  the 
appearance  of  Jesus  (see  also  v.  26).  The  resurrec- 
tion body,  while  real  (v.  27),  was  not  subject  to 
the  ordinary  laws  governing  material  things. 
Doubtless  Jesus  could  at  any  time  in  His  earthly 
life  have  made  Himself  miraculously  present ;  but 
the  suggestion  of  this  narrative  is  that  the 
resurrection  body  w\as  in  itself  unique,  and  that  for 
the  recorded  entrance  no  miracle  was,  in  con- 
sequence, required. 

21.  Compare  17.  18.  "As  the  Father  hath  sent 
me,"  really  implies  that  the  Father  was  "keeping 
on  sending."     The  work  of  Jesus  was  not  done. 

22,  23.  breathed  on  them.  As  if  communi- 
cating to  them  His  own  life  —  in  harmony  with 
that  conception  of  a  self-communication  of  Jesus  to 
His  disciples  which  has  been  the  main  burden  of 
the  whole  Gospel.     The  act  was  symbolic  of  the 


St.  John  243 

relation  toward  the  disciples  in  which  Jesus  was 
ever  afterwards  to  stand. 
Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost.    The  perfect 

baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  to  come  later  at 
Pentecost.  But  the  words  give  the  result  (as  it 
would  be  brought  about)  of  a  perfect  reception  of 
that  'Mn-breathing "  of  Jesus  which  He  has  just 
symbolised.  The  action  and  the  words  together 
indicate  the  ideal  condition  to  which  the  disciples 
were  meant  to  attain. 

Whose  soever  sins  ye  remit,  etc.  The 
meaning  is  that  by  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  them  the  disciples  would  be  able  unfailingly  to 
bring  the  grace  of  God  in  forgiveness  home  to 
human  hearts  that  were  ready  for  it^  and  to  discern 
unreadiness  for  that  grace  where  unreadiness 
dwelt.  They  would  be  equipped  for  a  right  and 
true  dealing  with  the  souls  of  men.  Much  the 
same  words  as  those  that  Jesus  uses  here  were 
employed  by  the  Jews  at  the  appointment  of  a 
scribe.     But  Jesus  gives  them  a  deeper  meaning. 

24.  Thomas  .  .  .  was  not  with  them.  See 
on  11.  16.  Thomas  ought  to  have  been  there. 
But  he  had  probably  lost  all  hope,  and  felt  that  to 
join  the  others  would  be  of  no  avail. 

25.  The  evidence  adduced  by  the  other  disciples 
was  not  sufficient  for  Thomas.  He  wanted  to  go 
further.  Yet  Thomas  was  not  the  type  of  the 
sceptic  in  the  intellectual  sense,  as  he  is  often 
taken  to  be.  He  was  one  who  had  missed  his 
spiritual  opportunities  (he  had  been  absent  unwisely 
when  Jesus  came),  and  had  consequently  come  to  feel 
that  notliing  great  could  come  into  his  experience. 
His  mood  was  rather  one  of  despair  tlian  of 
scepticism.     See  on  v.  28. 


244  Westminster  New  Testament 


(C)  26-29.  To  Thomas  in  the  Presence  of 

THE    OTHER    DiSCIPLES. 

26  And  after  eight  days  again  his  disciples  were  within, 
and  Thomas  with  them  :  then  came  Jesus,  the  doors 
being  shut,  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  said.  Peace 

27  be  unto  you.  Then  saith  he  to  Thomas,  Reach 
hither  thy  finger,  and  behold  my  hands ;  and  reach 
hither  thy  hand,  and  thrust  it  into  my  side  :  and  be 

28  not  faithless,  but  believing.     And  Thomas  answered 

29  and  said  unto  him,  INIy  Lord  and  my  God.  Jesus 
saith  unto  him,  Thomas,  because  thou  hast  seen  me, 
thou  hast  believed  :  blessed  are  they  that  have  not 
seen,  and  yet  have  believed. 

26.  That  Thomas  was  with  them  shows  that 
their  words  had  had  some  effect,  and  goes  to 
show,  also,  that  Thomas's  doubt  was  not  of  the 
purely  intellectual  sort. 

27.  Reach  hither  thy  finger,  etc.    Jesus  is 

willing  that  Thomas  shall  have  the  evidence  which 
he  demands.  The  fact  that  Jesus  was  willing  to 
be  thus  touched  proves  the  reality  of  His  physi- 
cal body,  whatever  changes  may  have  passed 
upon  it. 

28.  My  Lord  and  my  God.  Thomas,  the 
doubter,  makes  the  greatest  confession  of  faith  that 
anyone  has  yet  made.  And  he  makes  it,  so  far  as 
the  narrative  guides  us  in  reconstructing  the  scene, 
without  doing  those  things  which  he  had  declared 
necessary  to  convince  him. 

29.  The  faith  of  Thomas  is  nevertheless  not  the 
highest.  To  believe  without  a  perfect  logical 
demonstration  is  a  more  blessed  thing  ;  for  there  is 
implied  a  spiritual  intuition,  an  altogether  loftier 


St.  John  245 

spiritual  condition,  in  those  who  have  other  sources 
of  proof  than  anything  seen  can  afford. 


John  20.  30,  31. 

THE  EVANGELIST'S  STATEMENT  OF  HIS 
PURPOSE. 

30  And  many  other  signs  truly  did  Jesus  in  the  presence 
of  his  disciples,  which  are  not  written  in  this  book : 

31  But  these  are  written,  that  ye  might  beheve  that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God ;  and  that  believing 
ye  might  have  life  through  his  name. 

On  the  main  purpose  of  the  Gospel,  see 
Introduction,  pp.   22-26. 

30.  And  many  other  signs,  etc.  That  is, 
during  the  whole  of  His  ministry,  not  merely  after 
His  Resurrection. 

31.  believe.  The  word  must  be  taken  in  the 
sense  in  which  it  is  nearly  always  used  in  the 
Gospel.  As  we  have  repeatedly  seen,  it  signifies  a 
self-abandonment  of  the  disciple's  nature  to  that 
of  Jesus,  a  self-identification  of  the  disciple  with 
Jesus,  not  merely  an  intellectual  acceptance  of  the 
truth  about  Jesus. 

that  believing  ye  might  have  life.  The 
previously  given  interpretation  of  "  believing  "  is 
proved,  by  this  clause,  to  have  been  necessary. 
Only  by  believing  in  the  sense  indicated  can  life 
be  received.  Only  self-identification  with  Jesus 
brings  the  life  of  Jesus  into  human  hearts.  This  is 
of  course  no  arbitrary  rule,  but  must  in  the  nature 
of  things  be  so. 

through    his    name.       That   is,   through    His 


246  Westminster  New  Testament 

nature,  through  what  He  Himself  is — thus  pointing 
again  to  self-abandonment  to  Jesus,  identification 
with  Jesus,  as  the  true  meaning  of  "  believe." 
John's  purpose  in  writing,  therefore,  as  he  declares 
it  here,  was  to  bring  about  a  movement  of  man's 
nature  into  the  nature  of  Jesus,  so  that  the  actual 
life  of  Jesus  might  pass  back  into  man. 


John  21.  1-14. 

THE  APPEARANCE  OF  JESUS  AT  THE  SEA 
OF  GALILEE. 

After   these   things   Jesus   shewed   himself   again  to 
the  disciples  at  the  sea  of  Tiberias  ;  and  on  this  wise 

2  shewed  he  himself.  There  were  together  Simon 
Peter,  and  Thomas  called  Didymus,  and  Nathanael 
of  Cana  in  Galilee,  and  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  two 

3  other  of  his  disciples.  Simon  Peter  saith  unto  them, 
I  go  a  fishing.  They  say  unto  him,  We  also  go  with 
thee.  They  went  forth,  and  entered  into  a  ship 
immediately  ;  and  that  night  they  caught  nothing. 

4  But  when  the  morning  was  now  come,  Jesus  stood 
on   the  shore  :   but   the   disciples   knew  not   that   it 

5  was  Jesus.  Then  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Children, 
have    ye    any    meat  ?     They    answered     him,    No. 

6  And  he  said  unto  them.  Cast  the  net  on  the  right 
side  of  the  ship,  and  ye  shall  find.  They  cast  there- 
fore, and  now  they  were  not  able  to  draw  it  for  the 

7  multitude  of  fishes.  Therefore  that  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved  saith  unto  Peter,  It  is  the  Lord.  Now 
when  Simon  Peter  heard  that  it  was  the  Lord,  he 
girt  his  fisher's  coat  unto  him,  (for  he  was  naked,)  and 

8  did  cast  himself  into  the  sea.  And  the  other  disciples 
came  in  a  little  ship  ;  (for  they  were  not  far  from 


St.  John  247 

land,  but  as  it  were  two  hundred  cubits,)  dragging 

9  the  net  mth  fishes.     As  soon  then  as  they  were  come 

to  land,  they  saw  a  fire  of  coals  there,  and  fish  laid 

10  thereon,  and  bread.     Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Bring 

11  of  the  fish  which  ye  have  now  caught.  Simon 
Peter  went  up,  and  drew  the  net  to  land  full  of 
great  fishes,  an  hundred  and  fifty  and  three  :  and  for 
all  there  were  so  many,  yet  was  not  the  net  broken. 

12  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Come  and  dine.  And  none 
of  the  disciples  durst  ask  him.  Who  art  thou  ?  know- 

13  ing  that  it  was  the  Lord.  Jesus  then  cometh,  and 
taketh  bread,  and   giveth   them,   and   fish  likewise. 

14  This  is  now  the  third  time  that  Jesus  shewed  himself 
to  his  disciples,  after  that  he  was  risen  from  the 
dead. 

The  Gospel  was  originally  intended  to  close 
at  the  end  of  the  twentieth  chapter^  as  is  evident 
from  the  style  of  20.  SO,  31.  Moreover,  the  great 
confession  of  Thomas  M^ould  form  a  fitting  and 
natural  climax  to  all  that  has  gone  before.  It  is 
impossible  to  do  more  than  conjecture  the  reason 
of  the  subsequent  addition.  It  has  been  suggested 
that  some  of  John's  disciples  may  have  desired 
further  information  concerning  the  happenings  in 
the  forty  days  after  the  Resurrection.  This  is  a  quite 
plausible  conjecture.  It  seems  still  more  probable, 
however,  that  the  reason  for  the  addition  lies  in 
the  desire  of  the  writer,  on  further  reflection,  to 
set  down  the  events  recorded  in  21.  15-19-  The 
possible  motive  for  desiring  to  record  these  events 
will  be  dealt  with  in  the  preliminaries  to  the  next 
section.  But,  assuming  that  such  a  desire  sprang 
up  in  the  writer's  mind,  it  is  natural  that  he  should 
record  the  whole  history  of  the  day  on  which  the 
conversation  between  Jesus  and  Peter  took  place. 


248  Westminster  New  Testament 

The  chapter,  as  a  whole,  finds  its  raison  d'etre,  on 
this  view,  in  that  conversation ;  and  the  previous 
verses  (1-14),  while  in  themselves  of  importance  as 
giving  information  concerning  another  appearance 
of  the  risen  Lord,  are  in  a  manner  preliminary 
to  the  carrying  out  of  the  chief  purpose. 

As  to  the  genuineness  of  the  chapter,  there 
is  hardly  room  for  doubt — that  is,  by  those  who 
accept  the  Gospel  as  a  whole.  It  is  found  in  all  the 
manuscripts.  Moreover,  there  are  minute  resem- 
blances of  method  and  style  which  show  that  the 
chapter  came  from  the  same  hand  as  the  rest  of  the 
Gospel.  Such  are  the  mention  of  '^  Thomas  called 
Didymus "  (v.  2),  an  expression  which  is  found 
twice  previously  in  this  book,  and  not  elsewhere  in 
the  New  Testament — the  use  of  the  word  translated 
"  caught "  in  v.  3,  which  occurs  seven  times  in 
John,  and  not  in  the  other  three  Evangelists — and 
various  similar  points  (see  v.  2).  There  is  the 
same  attention  to  detail.  The  same  connecting 
particles  are  employed.  The  chapter  undoubtedly 
belongs  to  the  Gospel  as  it  came  from  the  Apostle's 
pen. 

1.  After  these  things.  No  definite  time  is 
pointed  to  (see,  for  a  similar  usage,  6.  l). 

shewed  himself.  The  word  really  means 
•^^ revealed  Himself" — that  is,  "shewed  what  He 
was,"  His  divineness.  The  R.V.  translates  "  mani- 
fested himself" 

the  sea  of  Tiberias.  See  Introduction,  p.  18, 
and  6.  1.  The  disciples  had  returned  to  Galilee 
(see  Matt.  28.  7  and  16). 

2.  Thomas  called  Didymus.     See  above. 
two   other   of  his   disciples.     Probably  not 

belonging  to  the  apostolic  band. 


St.  John  249 

Nathanael   of  Cana  in  Galilee.      This   is 

another  point  marking  a  common  authorship  with 
the  rest  of  the  Gospel.  Nathanael  is  mentioned 
only  by  John  under  that  name  (see  on  1.  45). 

o.  Peter's  abruptness  perhaps  resulted  from  a 
futile  consideration  and  discussion  among  the 
disciples  as  to  what  the  next  step  should  be.  He 
falls  back  upon  his  ordinary  occupation,  and  the 
rest  of  them  follow  his  example. 

they  caught  nothing.  See  above.  But  the 
night  was  the  best  time  for  fishing,  which  heightens 
the  wonder  of  what  |took  place  when  the  morning 
came. 

4.  But  when  the  morning,  etc.    Better,  as  in 

R.V.,  '^  when  day  was  now  breaking."  It  was  still 
dim  dawn,  and  hence  perhaps  the  failure  on 
the  part  of  the  disciples  to  recognise  Jesus. 

5.  Children.  The  word  so  translated  means 
properly,  "  boys."  It  is  not  the  affectionate  word 
similarly  rendered  at  13.  33.  As  they  do  not 
recognise  Him,  Jesus  speaks  to  them  as  a  stranger 
might. 

6.  The  verse  points  clearly  to  a  miracle.  At 
first,  before  the  casting  of  the  net,  possibly  the 
disciples  merely  supposed  that  the  stranger  had 
seen  something  which  made  him  imagine  that  some 
fish  might  be  caught.  But  the  greatness  of  the 
resulting  catch  indicated  much  more  than  this. 
And  the  effect  produced  on  John  (v.  7)  shows  that 
it  was  recognised  as  miraculous. 

7.  Only  John,  however,  whose  nature,  since  he 
"  believed  "  in  the  fuller  sense  implied  in  20.  8, 
had  doubtless  been  in  a  condition  of  greater 
spiritual  sensitiveness  and  insight  than  that  of  the 
others',  leapt  to  the  conclusion  that  this  must  be 


250  Westminster  New  Testament 

Jesus.  Yet  one  can  only  wonder  at  the  dulness  of 
the  rest.  There  had  surely  been  enough  to  make 
them  spiritually  alert.  Peter's  impulsiveness^  how- 
ever, again  comes  into  play,  and  causes  him  to  leap 
into  the  sea. 

girt  his  fisher's  coat  unto  him.  Out  of 
reverence  for  Jesus.  The  word  rendered  "  coat  " 
is  a  different  one  from  that  similarly  translated  at 
19.  23.     Here  it  denotes  an  outer  garment. 

8.  a  little  ship.  Properly  "  the  "  little  ship — 
the  little  boat  carried  on  the  larger  vessel  spoken 
of  in  V.  3. 

two  hundred  cubits.  A  hundred  yards, 
approximately. 

9,  10.  The  fire  and  fish  and  bread  had  perhaps 
been  left  ready  by  the  disciples  against  their 
return.  There  is  no  need  to  assume  a  miracle 
in  order  to  account  for  their  presence.  But  the 
fish  recently  caught  (v.  10)  would  necessarily  be 
fresher. 

11.  went  up.  That  is,  went  on  board.  He 
had  left  the  ship  before  the  others  (v.  7). 

an  hundred  and  fifty  and  three.  Among 
the  curiosities  of  interpretation  is  one  which  sees 
in  the  number  of  fishes  a  symbol  of  the  number  of 
nations  to  whom  the  Gospel  was  to  be  preached. 

12,  13.  And  none  of  the  disciples  durst  ask 
him,  etc.  Awe  restrained  them  from  anything 
like  familiar  speech.  But  Jesus  takes  the  initiative 
in  friendliness  (v.  13),  and  serves  them. 

14.  This  is  now  the  third  time,  etc.  Meaning, 
the  third  time  to  the  disciples  collectively.  John 
himself  has  recorded  three  manifestations  previous 
to  this,  and  others  are  given  in  the  synoptic 
accounts. 


St.  John  251 


John  21.  15-23. 
THE  RESTORATION  OF  PETER. 

15  So  when  they  had  dined,  Jesus  saith  to  Simon  Peter, 
Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  more  than 
these  ?  He  saith  unto  liim,  Yea,  Lord  ;  thou 
knowest  that  I  love  thee.     He  saith  unto  him,  Feed 

16  my  lambs.  He  saith  to  him  again  the  second  time, 
Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  ?  He  saith 
unto  him.  Yea,  Lord ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee. 

17  He  saith  unto  him.  Feed  my  sheep.  He  saith  unto 
him  the  third  time,  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou 
me  ?  Peter  was  grieved  because  he  said  unto  him 
the  third  time,  Lovest  thou  me  ?  And  he  said  unto 
him.  Lord,  thou  knowest  all  things ;  thou  knowest 
that  I  love  thee.     Jesus  saith  unto  him.  Feed  my 

18  sheep.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee.  When  thou 
wast  young,  thou  girdedst  thyself,  and  walkedst 
whither  thou  wouldest :  but  when  thou  shalt  be  old, 
thou  shalt  stretch  forth  thy  hands,  and  another 
shall  gird  thee,  and  carry  thee  whither  thou  wouldest 

19  not.  This  spake  he,  signifying  by  what  death 
he  should  glorify  God.     And  when  he  had  spoken 

20  this,  he  saith  unto  him.  Follow  me.  Then  Peter, 
turning  about,  seeth  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved 
following  ;  which  also  leaned  on  his  breast  at  supper, 
and  said.   Lord,  which  is  he  that  betrayeth   thee  ? 

21  Peter  seeing  him  saith  to  Jesus,  Lord,  and  what  shall 

22  this  man  do  ?  Jesus  saith  unto  him.  If  I  will  that 
he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee  ?  follow 

23  thou  me.  Then  went  this  saying  abroad  among 
the  brethren,  that  that  disciple  should  not  die  : 
yet  Jesus  said  not  unto  him,  He  shall  not  die  ;  but, 
If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to 
thee  ? 


252  Westminster  New  Testament 

It  was  suggested  that  this  section  forms  the 
raison  d'etre  of  the  entire  chapter.  John  probably 
remembered  how  at  the  beginning  of  his  Gospel 
he  recorded  the  prediction  of  Jesus  concerning 
Simon  (1.  42).  Yet  he  has  also  had  to  record  how 
this  disciple,  w^ho  had  been  pointed  to  in  that 
prediction  as  a  "rock/'  had  denied  the  Master. 
Had  the  prediction  then  gone  for  naught?  To 
show  how,  notwithstanding  Peter's  fall,  Jesus  still 
meant  His  prophecy  to  be  fulfilled,  John  sets 
down  the  scene  of  forgiveness  and  restoration. 
Peter  still  holds  his  apostolic  commission — has  it 
restored  to  him  with  added  emphasis  in  this  inter- 
view. And,  as  if  for  the  crowning  honour,  it  is 
foretold  how  by  martyrdom  the  Apostle  who 
denied  shall  at  last  glorify  God. 

15.  Simon,  son  of  Jonas.  Since  Peter  had 
come  to  be  the  Apostle's  common  designation, 
John  always  uses  it  himself  when  speaking  of  his 
colleague  in  the  band.  But  he  never  represents 
Jesus  as  doing  so — and  this  title,  standing  here, 
accordingly  affords  another  token  that  this  chapter 
comes  from  John's  own  hand. 

lovest  thou  me  ?  John  employs  a  word  signify- 
inga  loveof  great  depth  and  overmastering  intensity. 

more  than  these  ?  Pointing  to  Peter's  boast, 
recorded  in  13.  37  and  in  a  more  pronounced  form 
in  Matt.  26.  83. 

thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.    "Thou"  is 

emphatic.  "  Although  others  might  justly  conclude 
differently.  Thou  knowest."  But  Peter  does  not 
use  the  same  word  as  Jesus  for  "  love."  It  signifies 
a  humbler  affection,  the  affection  of  friendship  rather 
than  of  consuming  zeal.  This  is  all  that  Peter  dares 
now  to  claim. 


St.  John  253 

Feed  my  lambs.  Peter's  commission,  in  this 
first  statement  of  it,  is  to  care  for  the  younger 
members  of  the  flock  (whether  young  in  years  or 
in  experience),  for  whom  elementary  instruction  is 
requisite. 

16.  Jesus  repeats  His  question,  leaving  out, 
however,  the  reminder  of  Peter's  boast  that  he 
would  excel  others  in  his  faithfulness. 

Feed  my  sheep.  Here  the  commission  should 
run,  as  in  R.V.,  "Tend  my  sheep."  Thus  Peter's 
commission  is  enlarged.  Though  he  has  not 
properly  guarded  himself,  yet  he  is  restored  to 
the  office  of  guarding,  governing,  and  directing 
the  flock.  For  "tend"  is  a  greater  word  than 
"feed." 

17.  The  third  putting  of  the  question  doubtless 
recalled  the  threefold  denial,  and  thus  touched 
Peter  to  the  quick.  And  this  time  Jesus  employs, 
in  "lovest  thou  me  ?  "  not  His  own  previously  used 
word,  but  the  less  warm  word  which  Peter  has 
employed.  Peter  would  thus  be  moved  to  feel, 
"  Is  even  this  less  enthusiastic  love  doubted  by  my 
Master?"  And  hence  his  more  emphatic,  and 
yet  pathetic,  asseveration,  "  Thou  knowest  all 
things,"  etc.,  "Surely  Thou  dost  not  doubt  even 
this  ! " 

Feed  my  sheep.  Thus  completing  the  com- 
mission given  into  Peter's  hands.  To  "tend"  the 
flock  has  just  been  allotted  him  (v.  17),  to  "feed" 
the  lambs  was  the  first  call,  and  now  this  office  of 
feeding  is  extended  to  cover  the  whole  flock.  He 
has  to  feed,  as  well  as  to  tend,  not  only  the  younger 
members  of  the  Christian  band,  but  all.  And  the 
greatness  of  the  commission  marks  the  complete- 
ness of  Peter's  restoration  to  the  favour  of  his  Lord. 


254  Westminster  New  Testament 

18,  19.  The  prophecy  of  v.  18  has  a  double 
meamng.  It  refers,  in  the  first  instance,  to  what 
will  happen  in  Peter's  old  age,  when  his  present 
energy  and  impulsiveness  are  spent.  But  the 
principal  implication  is  that  on  which  John  himself 
insists  in  v.  19.  The  expressions  in  v.  18  are 
symbolic  of  the  death  by  crucifixion  which  is  here 
foretold,  and  which  Peter  is  traditionally  said  to 
have  suffered.  The  "  girding "  refers  to  the 
fastening  of  the  body,  and  the  "stretching  forth" 
of  the  hands  to  their  position,  on  the  cross.  But 
there  is  no  certain  knowledge  as  to  when  the 
prophecy  was  fulfilled,  although  tradition  says  that 
Peter  died  in  the  Neronian  persecution  in  the 
year  64.  Origen  adds  that  he  requested  to  be 
crucified  head  downwards. 

Follow  me.  There  is  probably  a  reference 
to  Peter's  profession  in  13.  37,  and  the  words 
would  thus  refer  to  the  spiritual  following  which 
lay  before  Peter.  But  it  is  evident  from  v.  20  that 
Jesus  and  Peter  drew  apart  from  the  rest. 

20,  21.  John,  being  a  close  associate  of  Peter,  and 
moreover  the  ''^discipje  whom  Jesus  loved,"  would 
feel  privileged  to  join  in  the  private  conversation. 

what  shall  this  man  do  ?  Peter  is  somewhat 
presumptuous  in  his  questioning — so  soon  after 
the  scene  just  recorded  ?  Since  John  and  Peter 
were  closely  linked  together,  however,  the  inquiry 
is  natural. 

22.  The  reply  of  Jesus  is  in  the  nature  of  a  mild 
rebuke.  Let  Peter  devote  Iiimself  to  that  follow- 
ing for  which  he  formerly  professed  Iiimself  ready, 
and  to  which  he  has  just  now  been  freshly  called, 
leaving  other  things  to  the  decision  of  Jesus. 

23.  Perhaps  at  the  time  when  John  was  writing 


St.  John  255 

in  his  old  age,  some  may  still  have  been  under  the 
mistaken  idea  here  spoken  of.  And  the  Apostle 
endeavours,  by  this  verse,  to  prepare  them  for  his 
departure. 


John  21.  24,  25. 
AN  ADDENDUM  TO  THE  GOSPEL. 

24  This  is  the  disciple  which  testifieth  of  these  things, 
and    wrote    these    things :    and    we    know    that    his 

25  testimony  is  true.  And  there  are  also  many  other 
things  which  Jesus  did,  the  which,  if  they  should 
be  written  every  one,  I  suppose  that  even  the  world 
itself  could  not  contain  the  books  that  should  be 
written.     Amen. 

These  two  verses  are  evidently  an  addition  by 
another  hand.  They  ai-e  found  in  every  extant 
manuscript  (except  that  v.  25  is  wanting  in  the 
Sinaitic  MS.).  But  the  use  of  the  pronoun  "  we  " 
in  V.  24'  points  to  the  passage  being  an  attestation 
of  the  Gospel,  a  public  sealing  of  its  apostolic 
authorship  and  its  truth,  by  some  persons  whose 
attestation  would  carry  weight.  They  may  have 
been  elders  of  the  Ephesian  Church.  The  phrase 
about  the  world  not  being  able  to  contain  the 
books  that  should  be  written  if  the  full  story  of 
Jesus  were  told,  is  a  figure  of  speech  quite  unlike 
John's  style. 

24.  the  disciple  which  testifieth.  The  words 
ring  as  if  John  were  still  living. 

25.  many  other  things,  etc.  The  reference  is 
to  the  whole  body  of  oral  tradition  concerning  Jesus 
which  was  the  possession  of  the  early  Church. 
This  IS  not  all  recorded  in  the  Synoptics. 


INDEX 


^non,  17. 

Ainun,  65. 

Alogi,  the,  12,  13. 

Alphaeus,  234. 

Andrew,  45,  161. 

Annas,  220-223. 

Antonia,  219. 

Arimathaea,  236. 

'Askar,  71. 

Authorship  of  the  Gospel,  1-22. 

Barabbas,  227. 
Barclay,  Dr.,  219. 
Barnabas,  Epistle  of,  10. 
Bartholomew,  47. 
Basilides,  10. 
Bethabara,  40,  41. 
Bethany,  40,  41. 
Bethany   (town    of    Lazarus), 

146,  155- 
Bethesda,  80. 
Bethsaida,  17,  47. 
Birket  Silwan,  126. 
Brethren  of  Jesus,  100-103. 
Bretschneider,  207. 

Caiaphas,  154,  222,  223. 
Cana,  51. 

17 


Capernaum,  54,  55,  76. 
Cedron,  the  brook,  219. 
Cerinthus,  13,  23,  24.^ 
Chwolson,  169. 
Claim     concerning     its    own 

authorship,     the     Gospel's, 

3-8. 
Clement  of  Alexandria,  ii. 
Cleophas,  234. 
Crucifixion,  date  of,  168,  169. 

Dedication,  Feast  of,  139-144. 
Delff,  Dr.,  5. 
Diatessaron,  10. 
Didache,  9. 
Didymus,  148. 

Dionysius  of  Alexandria,  6,  7' 
Drummond,     Dr.,     2,    7,    9, 
13. 

Ebionitism,  24. 

Edersheim,  126. 

El  Azeriyeh  (Bethany),  146. 

El  Taiyibeh  (Ephraim),  154. 

Ephraim,  154. 

Eusebius,  6,  11. 

Evanson,  8. 

External  evidence,  the,  8-15. 


258 


Index 


Galilee,  Sea  of,  i8. 

Georgius  Hamartolus,  13,  14. 

Gerizim,  72. 

Gnosticism,  23,  24. 

Godet,  169. 

Golgotha,  233. 

Greeks,  seeking  Jesus,  16 1. 

Harnack,  5,  14. 
Haughton,  Dr.,  235. 
Hippolytus,  10. 
Hofmann,  169. 

Ignatius,  lo. 

Internal  evidence,  the,  15-19. 

Irenaeus,  6,  9,  lo. 

Jerome,  7. 

John,    Gospel  of,    authorship, 

1-22. 
John,  Gospel  of,  its  divisions, 

29,  30. 
John,  Gospel  of,  its  purpose, 

22-26. 
John,   Gospel  of,    its  relation 

to  the  Synoptists,  20,  5^  . 
John,      Gospel      of,     Logos 

Doctrine  in,  26-29. 
John  the  Baptist,   34,   37-43^ 

45,  63-67,  144. 
John  the  disciple  whom  Jesus 

loved,  3-8,    174,  222,   234, 

238,  239,  249,  254,  255. 
John  the  Presbyter,  4-7. 
Joseph    of   Arimathaea,     165, 

236. 
Josephus,  51,  231. 
Judas  Iscariot,  157,  169,  173- 

175- 
Judas  (Lebbaeus),  183. 
Justin  Martyr,  10. 

Kana  el  Jehl,  51. 


Kefr  Kenna,  51. 
Khan  Minyeh,  55. 

Langen,  169. 

Lazarus,  144-152, 

Logos  Doctrine,  the,  26-29. 

Malchus,  222. 
McClymont,  Dr.,  144. 
Martha,  150. 
Mary,  50-52. 

Mary,  wife  of  Cleophas,  234. 
Mary  Magdalene,  236-241. 
Mary  of  Bethany,  150,  157. 
Merril,  Dr.,  48. 
Milligan,  Dr.,  235. 
Muratorian  Fragment,  9,  11. 

Nablous,  71. 

Nathanael,  47-49,  51,  249. 
Nazareth,  48. 

Nicodemus,  57-63,   iii,    129, 
165. 

Olives,  Mount  of,  112. 
Origen,  254. 

Papias,  6,  14,  15. 
Pavement,  the,  231. 
Peter,  46,  47,   100,   170,   176, 
221-224,  238,^239,  251-254. 
Philip,  47,  89,  161,  180. 
Philo  of  Alexandria,  27. 
Pilate,  224-233. 
Polycarp,  9,  10. 
Prologue,  the,  32. 
Purifying,      regulations       for, 

17- 
Purim,  Feast  of,  79- 

Ramathaim    Zophim    (Arima- 
thaea), 236. 
Ramsay,  Professor,  231. 


Index 


259 


Sadducees,  the,   153. 

Salome,  234. 

Samaria,  70,  71, 

Samaritan  (Shomron),  122. 

Sanday,  Dr.,  169,  231. 

Shechem,  71. 

Siloam,  pool  of,  108,  126. 

Simon  the  leper,  156,  157. 

Solomon's  porch,  141. 

Stroud,  W.,  235. 

Supper,    the    Last,    time    of, 

168,  169. 
Sychar,  71. 
Synoptists,    relation    between 

them  and  Fourth  Gospel,  20, 

54- 

Tabernacles,    P'east    of,    10 1- 
103,  108,  109,  115. 


Tatian,  10. 
Tell  Hum,  55. 
Temple,  the,  17,  53-56. 
Theophilus     of      Antioch,    8, 

II. 
Tholuck,  169. 
Thomas,    148,    179,    243-245, 

248. 
Tiberias,  Sea  of,  18. 
Treasury,  the,  116. 


Valentinus,  10. 


Wellhausen,  88. 
Westcott,  132,  141,  219. 
Whyte,  Dr.,  123. 
Work,  Professor,  23. 


Printed  by   Morrison  &  Gibb  Limited,  Edinburgh. 


A    SELECTION    OF 

THEOLOGICAL  &  OTHER  WORKS 

From    Mr.   MELROSFS    CATALOGUE. 

important  Book  for  Teachers. 

BIBLE    TEACHING    BY    MODERN    METHODS 

By  Principal  Garvie,   M.A..   D.D.  ;    R.   F.  Horton.  MA. 

D.D.  ;  and  others.     Edited  by  Rev.  Frank  Johnson.     Demv 

8vo,  cloth  boards,  3s.  6d.  net  re       J  rZ   ■ 

Tu      o    -^w    r7r    ,,     .«'«'•  o"-  nci.  {Secoiid  Edition. 

The  British  Weekly  says:  "The  volume  is  calculated  to  inau-urat^  ^ 

new  era  in  the  history  of  the  Sunday  School. "  inaugurate  a 

For  Theologrical  Students. 

LESSONS    IN    NEW   TESTAMENT   GREEK. 

A  Secondary  Course.     By  Prof.  S.  Walter  Green.     Crown 
8vo,  cloth  boards,  2s.  net.     Key,  Is.  6d.  net. 

THE    MAKING    OF   A    PREACHER. 

By   Principal  Simon,  M.A..  D.D.,  Author  of  "Some   Bible 
Problems,    etc.     Royal  i8mo,  cloth  boards.  Is.  net. 
.hl^lH  w"""T  ^^^'  •  ",^^  ^^1'"^^  '"  '°""d  ^"d  practical,  and  the  volume 
t^^^^J.T^^T^'"'  '^"^^^^'^^  ''^  '^^  --^^-^  °f  divinity  anrbtthe- 

Striking^  Book  on  the  Apostle  Paul. 

PAUL   THE    MYSTIC.  Unst  Pumshed. 

A  Study  m  Apostolic  Experience.     By  James  M.  Campbell 

H'?h  k'^^!?°'/^T^'  Indwelling  Christ."  etc.     Demy  8vo' 
cloth  boards,  4s.  6d.  net.  ^^my  ovo, 

The  ^c«^^;;/y  says  :  "  In  the  elaboration  of  his  thesis  Dr    r=,mT^K»n 
hibits  considerable  scholarship.     He  has  an  intimate  knovvledS^f^Pr''" 
literature,  and  his  references  To  it  are  apt  and  weU  chosen.''    ^         ^^"''"' 

New  Book  of  Family  Prayers. 

HOME     PRAYERS,  [Second  £dztio;i. 

For  Morning  and  Evening  Worship,  and  for  Special  Occasions 
By  A.  Morris  Stewart,  M.A.,  D.D.  FcaD  Ito  rinth 
bevelled  boards,  red  burnished  edges,  with  ReSter°3s.  6d 
net;  leather  limp,  in  box,  5s.  6d.  net-  French  mnrA,.o^" 
bevelled  boards,  red  under  gold,  in  box   7s.  6d  net  ' 

The  Methodist  Recorder  says  :  "  One  of  the  best  vve  have  met  Tn 

chastened  restraint  it  comes  near  to  the  Prayer  Book."  *  " 


London:    ANDREW  MELROSE,  i6  Pilgrim  Street,  E.C. 


BS2341.W532  4 

The  Gospel  according  to  St.  John 

Princeton  Theological  Semlnary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00059  9888 


